Bare-bones gym breeds Olympians in Philippines boxing capital Bago

Bare-bones gym breeds Olympians in Philippines boxing capital Bago

At a bare-bones gym in the central Philippines, children from poor families in torn shoes put on frayed head guards and get to work in pursuit of their Olympic boxing dream -- and a way out of poverty. Aged 10-18, the young boxers spar in the Bago city gymnasium after school before sleeping under the ring's canvas at night. Located on the island of Negros, in the sugar-growing region […]

July 10, 2024 5

Sport

Undisputed heavyweight world champion Usyk vacates IBF belt

Oleksandr Usyk has confirmed he will vacate his IBF title just weeks after he became undisputed world heavyweight champion. The Ukrainian, 37, became the first heavyweight to hold the IBF, WBO, WBA and WBC belts when he beat Tyson Fury on a split decision in Saudi Arabia last month. With Usyk now contracted to a rematch with Britain's Fury, he is not in a position to defend the […]

June 26, 2024 13

Sport

Pacquiao in talks over comeback but title fight ‘far away’

Boxing great Manny Pacquiao said Monday that he is in negotiations to make a comeback but cautioned that a potential world title fight against Mario Barrios was "far away". The 45-year-old multiple world champion from the Philippines quit the sport in 2021 and made a failed tilt at his country's presidency. He has signed up to fight a three-round exhibition bout against Japanese mixed martial artist Chihiro Suzuki […]

June 10, 2024 19

Sport

Tszyu-Ortiz super-welterweight fight off on doctor’s orders

Tim Tszyu's WBA super-welterweight interim world title fight against unbeaten American Virgil Ortiz was called off Friday on doctor's orders with the Australian still struggling from a nasty head injury. Tszyu lost for the first time in his career on a split-decision to American southpaw Sebastian Fundora when he put his WBO super-welterweight belt on the line in Las Vegas in March. During the bout he struck his […]

May 31, 2024 6

Sport

Oleksandr Usyk: looking for heavyweight legacy on the Fury road

Oleksandr Usyk may be the reigning WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO heavyweight world champion but to many the Ukrainian is the underdog going into Saturday's long-awaited unifying title fight with Tyson Fury in Riyadh. Size matters, it seems, with southpaw Usyk conceding 15 centimetres (6 inches) in height to the 2.06 metre (6 foot 9 inch) Fury, 18cm in reach, and close to 22 kilos (49lbs) in weight. […]

May 15, 2024 11

Sport

Tyson says comeback at 57 was ‘no-brainer’

Former heavyweight king Mike Tyson said Monday his decision to step back into the ring at the age of 57 was a "no-brainer", brushing off recent criticism that he was too old to make a comeback. At a press conference in New York to promote his upcoming bout against YouTuber-turned-fighter Jake Paul, Tyson admitted training for his return had taken a toll. "I'm doing great but my body is […]

May 14, 2024 6

Sport

Rags-to-riches Ngannou targets Joshua heavyweight shock

"I've had a lot of experience in life," the softly-spoken Cameroon-born fighter says with characteristic understatement. "I've built my fighting spirit as high as anyone else." Ngannou has crammed a lot into his 37 years. The child of a single mother, he had to walk six miles to school and from the age of 10 he shovelled sand from open quarries, his meagre income helping to buy food and […]

March 7, 2024 10

Sport

Sad Pacquiao accepts his Olympic dream is over

A "saddened and disappointed" Manny Pacquiao conceded Monday his Olympic boxing dream was over after the ring great was denied a berth at this year's Paris games. The International Olympic Committee rejected a special request for Pacquiao to take part, the Philippine Olympic Committee announced Sunday. Pacquiao, 45, who hung up his gloves in 2021 before an unsuccessful presidential run, said he respected the decision of the IOC, […]

February 19, 2024 1