Boxing

Deontay Wilder and Robert Helenius are reportedly close to an agreement to fight Oct. 15 at the Barclays Center in New York City.

Keith Idec of Boxing Scene reported Wednesday details are still being finalized but a deal is expected to get done "barring anything unforeseen." The event will be broadcast on Fox Sports pay-per-view.

Wilder (42-2-1; 41 KOs) hasn't fought since back-to-back losses to Tyson Fury in February 2020 and October 2021. He last faced someone other than Fury in November 2019, when he knocked out Luis Ortiz to stretch his unbeaten run to 43 fights.

In May, the 2008 Olympic bronze medalist confirmed to Chase Goodbread of the Tuscaloosa News he planned to continue his in-ring career despite a layoff approaching one year, though he hinted his fighting days could soon come to a close.

"I'm going to have to share my life not only with the world, but with my family once more, for this very last ride, this very last journey," Wilder said. "I apologize to my family if it's an inconvenience, but the world needs me. And I must go back to the call of duty at this moment in time."

The 36-year-old Alabama native added his decision to return came because of “popular demand” as fans continued to ask for another fight.

"And the business of boxing needs me," Wilder said. "When there's a thriving American champion, there's nothing like it. When there's not, you see it's dead. There's a drought in [the sport]. People know the difference now."

Helenius (31-3, 20 KOs) defeated Adam Kownacki to capture the vacant WBA Gold heavyweight championship in March 2020 and then beat Kownacki in a rematch last October.

His last loss came against Gerald Washington in July 2019.

In July, Helenius argued he should be next in line to face the winner of the Aug. 20 clash between Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua for the WBA Super, WBO, IBF and IBO heavyweight belts, saying his lawyers may seek legal remedies if not given the title fight.

"I definitely should be next," Helenius said on Sky Sports (h/t Fight Sports). "Every elimination bout after mine is bulls--t. At this point, if we are not designated the mandatory after Usyk's next fight, we will have only one option."

A win over Wilder, his former sparring partner, would further establish the 38-year-old Finnish veteran as a worthy contender in the crowded heavyweight division.

After announcing his retirement from boxing in April, Tyson Fury is now set to return to the ring:

Fury has hired Isaac Lowe as a trainer and plans to fight Derek Chisora to complete a trilogy against the fellow heavyweight.

"I've decided to come back to boxing, because I can be the first heavyweight world champion in history to have two trilogies," Fury said. "I'd always say I'd fight Derek Chisora at the end of my career."

According to Mike Coppinger of ESPN, the plan would be for a fight in December at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. There is still no official deal with the sides reportedly "seven figures apart on Chisora's purse."

The comeback is a relative surprise after Fury seemed adamant about ending his career ahead of his last match against Dillian Whyte.

"When I walk away, I'll never come back. Never," Fury told ESPN's Mark Kriegel.

The mindset continued after a sixth-round knockout at Wembley Stadium to retain the WBC heavyweight title.

"This is the truth, the gospel truth, nothing but the truth, I'm done," the 33-year-old said on Piers Morgan Uncensored (h/t ESPN). "... At the end of the day I don't have anything more to give."

It appears Fury has had a change of heart, as he looks to add to a resume that already includes a 32-0-1 record. His only misstep was a draw against Deontay Wilder, who he later beat twice by knockout.

The Gypsy King also has a pair of wins over Chisora in 2011 and 2014, and he is now looking to complete the trilogy.

Another victory for Fury could potentially set up a fight against the winner of Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua for the undisputed heavyweight championship.

A contract agreement for a welterweight unification fight featuring Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford is reportedly "nearing completion."

Boxing insider Dan Rafael reported Monday the bout is "penciled in" for either Nov. 12 or Nov. 19 and will "likely" take place in Las Vegas if the details are finalized.

A battle between the undefeated champions would have Fight of the Year potential.

Spence (28-0, 22 KOs) is coming off a victory over Yordenis Ugas in April to capture the WBA Super welterweight belt. He already owned the WBC and IBF titles in the division.

Crawford (38-0, 29 KOs) hasn't fought since November when he defeated Shawn Porter to retain the WBC welterweight championship.

In July, Spence expressed confidence a long-awaited deal would get done.

"I think it's gonna happen," the 32-year-old New York native told reporters. "He wants the fight. I want the fight. It's going down to negotiations. It's definitely gonna go down this year."

Those comments came after Crawford told ESPN's Mike Coppinger in April he was ready to crown an undisputed welterweight champion.

"I'm free to do whatever I want," the 34-year-old southpaw said. "There's nothing standing in the way from us fighting. There's no promotion company that's blocking it, there's no wrong side of the street, there's no nothing. Let's see who the best welterweight in the world is."

It's unclear what's still being negotiated between the sides, but the most common sticking point in these types of high-profile discussions is the percentage each fighter will receive from the guaranteed purse split.

One thing's for sure: It would be a loss for boxing if the talks ultimately fall through. A clash between Spence and Crawford is essential while they're still at the peak of their powers.

Cris Cyborg is headed toward the boxing ring.

The MMA legend revealed she is planning to make her boxing debut once a contract is finalized.

“My team already received the contract, we’ve been back and forth working on the contract, I believe soon, we’ll finish and I’ll sign,” Cyborg said on The Catch-Up. “Then you guys are gonna know who and where is gonna be my next fight. I’m very excited to do my first fight in boxing. Very, very excited. It’s one of my dreams.”

Cyborg, the current Bellator featherweight champion, has not fought since defeating Arlene Blencowe in April. Her contract with Bellator expired this summer, allowing her to become a free agent.

The 37-year-old has been an MMA nomad over the course of her career, winning championships in Strikeforce, Invicta FC, UFC and Bellator. UFC is the only promotion she fought in more than five times.

There was talk of Cyborg potentially fighting Kayla Harrison of the PFL, but Cyborg says there have not been any discussions with the promotion. PFL previously blocked Harrison from fighting Cyborg in Bellator by matching her contract.

“We’ve never had any talks with PFL,” Cyborg said. “They never talk about this fight. I know it’s a lot of talks on the internet to make this fight happen with [Harrison], two different ways, but I’ve never had the opportunity to talk about anything.

Cyborg has no boxing experience. She has tried her hand at professional grappling and muay thai in the past, but boxing had never seemed like much of an option. That said, most of Cyborg's career victories in MMA have come via knockout with her fists.

Jake Paul is dipping back to the YouTuber game for his next fight.

Paul agreed to fight YouTuber KSI next year in a back-and-forth Monday on Twitter:

The agreement follows Paul canceling his fight against Hasim Rahman Jr. that was originally scheduled for last weekend. Paul's camp blamed Rahman's inability to make weight for the bout, while others (including UFC President Dana White) blamed a lack of ticket sales and hype for the event.

Paul has not fought since last December's knockout win in a rematch against Tyron Woodley. That matchup was largely seen as a pay-per-view disappointment, doing only a fraction of the buys of their first fight.

Given the lack of hype ahead of the Rahman bout and the disappointing numbers from the Woodley fight, it's fair to wonder if the novelty of Paul boxing has worn off. His early fights carried a spectacle feel to them as part of broadcasts on Triller, which featured musical performances between bouts and fellow celebrities taking to the ring.

Since signing with Showtime, Paul's fights have been given more of a legitimate boxing feel. It's fair to wonder whether that was a smart promotional decision, and White has been critical of Paul's promotions team.

Should the fight against KSI take place, we may be seeing a return to the spectacle feeling. KSI is a rapper and YouTuber who has 23.9 million subscribers on YouTube. The Englishman is set to fight against fellow rapper Swarmz later this month.

KSI's only previous professional fight was a split-decision win over Logan Paul in 2019. He fought Logan Paul to a draw in 2018 when both were fighting as amateurs.

Jake Paul is venturing into the sports-betting industry.

Paul and Joey Levy announced the creation of Betr on Monday, with the former serving as CEO and the latter serving as president. The betting company focuses on micro-betting rather than gambling on the overall outcomes of games.

In essence, consumers will have the ability to bet on individual plays within the larger context of games, such as the result of the next pitch in baseball or drive in football.

The company has a number of notable investors from the sports world, including Ezekiel Elliott, Richard Sherman, Dez Bryant, DeSean Jackson and Braxton Berrios. Rapper Travis Scott is also among the investors.

Paul became famous as a YouTube star but has ventured into boxing.

He has a 5-0 record with four knockouts, including two wins over former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley.

YouTube star Jake Paul announced he'll pay undercard fighters 50 percent of their expected purse despite the cancellation of Saturday's boxing card at Madison Square Garden.

The show, which was created by Paul's Most Valuable Promotions, was scrapped after he couldn't finalize a main-event opponent. Tommy Fury withdrew because of travel issues, and Hasim Rahman Jr. couldn't reach the contractually agreed upon weight.

Paul posted a statement on Twitter:

In June, Fury was denied clearance to travel from England to the United States for a press conference to promote the fight with Paul.

He explained on Instagram (via ESPN) his Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) was not approved and he was not given a reason for the decision.

"I can stand here and say I've done absolutely nothing wrong and I have no clue why I am not allowed to travel to the USA," Fury said.

Rahman accepted the fight on short notice.

MVP said the original agreement was for a bout at 200 pounds and then Paul offered to move up to 205 pounds as a compromise. Rahman's camp said the minimum was 215 pounds and the boxer, who owns a 12-1 record, questioned the cancellation since they previously scrapped at a higher weight, per ESPN's Marc Raimondi.

"If you beat me up while I was 230, what's the problem fighting me at 215?" Rahman said. "What's the problem fighting me at 210? It's clearly them not wanting to fight. It's not me pulling out of the fight."

Paul has faced questions about when he'll take on a classically trained boxer after starting his career 5-0 by beating opponents from other backgrounds.

He's scored two wins over former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley after previous victories against former MMA fighter Ben Askren, former NBA guard Nate Robinson and fellow YouTuber Ali "AnEsonGib" Al-Fakhri.

MVP released a statement to Jack Figg of The Sun on Thursday, saying the promotion is "evaluating multiple opponents for Jake Paul to return in October."

Ariel Helwani of The MMA Hour reported Saturday that Paul has offered to replace Alex Wassabi in an Aug. 27 fight against another YouTuber, Olajide "KSI" Olatunji.

Even if that bout happens, the uncertainty about how Paul would perform against a career boxer would remain a key talking point.

Jake Paul has reportedly made an offer to step in and box one of his brother's former rivals.

According to Ariel Helwani of the MMA Hour, Paul has proposed a fight against YouTuber KSI on Aug. 27 after KSI's previously scheduled bout was canceled.

KSI had been set to face fellow YouTuber Alex Wassabi, but Wassabi has not been cleared because of a concussion, so the fight is off.

Per Helwani, Paul is willing to step in as Wassabi's replacement on the same date and at the same venue—O2 Arena in London—if KSI accepts a fight at 180 pounds.

KSI previously boxed Paul's older brother, Logan Paul, twice. They fought to a majority draw in 2018 and KSI beat Logan by split decision in 2019.

Like KSI, Jake Paul recently had a fight called off, as scheduled clashes with Tommy Fury and Hasim Rahman Jr. both went by the wayside.

Paul vs. Fury was originally set for Aug. 6 after a previous fight between them was canceled because of Fury being injured and ill. Former UFC star Tyron Woodley stepped in as Fury's replacement on that occasion.

For the second time, Paul vs. Fury didn't happen, however, as the younger brother of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury had visa issues that would not allow him to enter the United States.

Paul replaced Fury with Rahman Jr., who is the son of former heavyweight boxing champion Hasim Rahman.

That contest was canceled last week following a disagreement about the fighting weight, as Paul claimed that the contract was signed for 200 pounds, but Rahman planned to weigh in at 215 pounds.

While KSI hasn't fought since beating Logan Paul in 2019, Jake Paul has been far more active, posting a 5-0 record since his debut in 2020.

Jake Paul owns victories over YouTuber AnEsonGib, former NBA guard Nate Robinson and a pair of former UFC stars in Ben Askren and Woodley.

Fury or Rahman would have been the younger Paul's first opponent with legitimate boxing experience, meaning he may have been an underdog in those fights.

Instead, Paul figures to be a huge favorite against KSI if the latter decides to accept the reported offer.

Boxing legend Mike Tyson continued to speak out against Hulu's decision to move forward with a documentary series about his life in a Twitter post on Saturday.

Tyson released a statement to ET's Philiana Ng‍ on Thursday after the series' executive producer, Steven Rogers, said the boxer couldn't be involved in the project because of rights issues:

"[That's] a flat out lie. My life rights option expired years ago. Hulu nor any of their supercilious team ever tried to engage in any negotiations with this Black man. In their eyes I am still just a n----r on the auction block ready to be sold for their profit without any regard for my worth or my family.

"They say this story is an exploration of a Black man. It's more like an exploitation of a Black man. Hulu thinks their tracks are covered by hiring Black sacrificial lambs to play the part as frontmen for their backdoor robbery is appalling. I will always remember this blatant disregard of my dignity."

Hulu announced in June it would release the series, entitled "MIKE," starring Trevante Rhodes as Tyson on Aug. 25. It said the eight-episode show "explores the tumultuous ups and downs of Tyson's boxing career and personal life—from being a beloved global athlete to a pariah and back again."

Rogers and fellow executive producer Karin Gist said they wanted to tell Tyson's story through a wide range of perspectives, per ET.

"For me, as a writer, as a storyteller, I don't really like to be reliant on just one source," Rogers said. "I really like to do the research and get all these different opinions and then put a story around all of that. I don't like to be beholden to just one person."

Gist added: "We really wanted to make sure we were as broad as possible in the research and the dramatization of the events of his life and we could make sure we were opening the doors to other conversations to be had around those things as well."

In March 2021, a separate biopic entitled "Tyson" with Jamie Foxx in the lead role was also being pitched to networks as a limited TV series. Tyson was scheduled to serve as an executive director for that project, per Peter White of Deadline.

Meanwhile, Rhodes told Rick Porter of the Hollywood Reporter he viewed Tyson as somebody who represented "specific Black men who give us an understanding of the Black male experience, and even more specifically the special Black male experience."

"It's my time—not as Trevante but as this iteration of a Black man," he said.

Tyson was one of the most dominant heavyweight champions in boxing history, which earned him a place in the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

His life outside the ring is sure to be a focus of the documentary. Most notably, Tyson was sentenced to 10 years in prison for rape in 1992. Four years of the sentence were suspended by the judge, and he was released after serving three of the remaining six years.

A representative for Madison Square Garden denied the boxing card headlined by YouTube star Jake Paul and Hasim Rahman Jr., which was scheduled to take place at the arena on Saturday, was canceled because of poor ticket sales.

"To be clear, sales were strong heading into fight week—the cancellation was not based on ticket sales," the rep told Mike Heck of MMA Fighting on Thursday. "This fight was projected to be in the top 10 of highest grossing boxing events at MSG in the past 15 years."

Speculation about the reasoning for the cancellation began when UFC president Dana White spoke about the issue at a UFC 277 press conference last weekend.

"I think they sold under a million dollars in tickets, and it costs $500,000 to turn the f--king lights on at MSG," White told reporters. "That's what I think. Not to mention hotel rooms in New York and transportation and everything else is very expensive."

He also took a shot at Nakisa Bidarian, Paul's business partner and a former UFC employee.

"I will say this, just because you were an accountant here doesn't mean you know what the f--k goes on here," White said. "It doesn't mean you can run a fight promotion company."

Paul's company, Most Valuable Promotions, previously stated calling off the fight was a result of Rahman being unable to reach the contractually agreed upon weight of 200 pounds or a compromise of 205 pounds offered by Paul, according to ESPN's Marc Raimondi.

"MVP and Jake Paul will not reward someone that has conducted themselves in such a deceiving and calculated manner," the statement said.

Rahman's camp appeared to confirm that was the reason for the cancellation, saying the best they could offer was 215 pounds, and the 31-year-old boxer questioned why Paul wasn't willing to increase the weight when they previously sparred at 230 pounds, per Raimondi.

"If you beat me up while I was 230, what's the problem fighting me at 215?" Rahman said. "What's the problem fighting me at 210? It's clearly them not wanting to fight. It's not me pulling out of the fight."

Rahman, who owns a 12-1 career record, accepted the bout on short notice after Tommy Fury withdrew in early July because of travel issues.

Meanwhile, Most Valuable Promotions provided a statement to Jack Figg of The Sun saying the company is "evaluating multiple opponents for Jake Paul to return in October."

Paul has won the first five fights of his pro career with two victories over former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley along with triumphs against former MMA fighter Ben Askren, former NBA guard Nate Robinson and fellow YouTuber Ali "AnEsonGib" Al-Fakri.