Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.<\/a><\/p>\nYet while Burgess remains filthy over what he has privately said was a huge show of disrespect, Asofa-Solomona told Fighting Words there will be no apology for a situation that was effectively out of his control.<\/p>\n
He added that the man making his pro debut on June 24 also needs to understand his place in the pecking order for promoters No Limit.<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand George might want an apology,\u201d NAS told us this week, \u201cbut he won\u2019t be getting one.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn the day of our \u2018Face Off\u2019 interview, I missed my morning flight up to Sydney. That\u2019s where I was. So what does he want me to do?<\/p>\n
\u201cI know George is a big fella, but I didn\u2019t realise he\u2019s also a gigantic sook.<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, I didn\u2019t know he had this in him.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy the time I arrived, he was acting like it was the end of the world. Apparently, he\u2019d already been moping around for ages, saying I was disrespectful, that I was wasting his time and whatever else.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then when we were finally across from each other at the table, he just sat there, complete silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut as I said, I missed my flight and got there as soon as I could.\u201d<\/p>\n
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA – MAY 16: Nelson Asofa-Solomona & George Burgess during their face off at Suncorp Stadium on May 16, 2026 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Asofa-Solomona also had a simple message for Burgess concerning the rest of the fight build.<\/p>\n
\u201cGeorge needs to understand he\u2019s the B side in this fight,\u201d he said. \u201cI realise this is a guy who loves the attention, who loves the camera, and is an actor by trade.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo who knows? Maybe George thought he was going to be the main character for this one, too.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut he\u2019s not.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately for him, I\u2019m the guy with the script. He\u2019s just another character in my story \u2026 and I already know how this one plays out.\u201d<\/p>\n
TEAM OPETAIA: \u201cYOU CAN\u2019T MAKE THIS S*** UP\u201d.<\/p>\n
Jai Opetaia\u2019s team remain convinced his next fight will be against WBC cruiserweight champ Noel Mikaelian, despite an array of dramas emerging via stripping threats, David Benavidez, even an ageing Don King.<\/p>\n
As first revealed by this column last month, Opetaia and Mikaelian are already deep into negotiations for what was initially expected to be an August championship bout in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n
In recent days however, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman has thrown a serious spanner into the works by suggesting Mikaelian will be stripped of his belt if he commits to fighting Australia\u2019s unbeaten Zuffa champ.<\/p>\n
Instead, the WBC has ordered a unification bout between Mikaelian and Benavidez, the American superstar who only recently claimed both WBO and WBA gold from Gilberto \u2018Zurdo\u2019 Ramirez.<\/p>\n
Speaking with Fighting Words about the situation this week, Opetaia\u2019s manager Mick Francis conceded the whole thing \u201cjust doesn\u2019t make any sense\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I don\u2019t think it will happen,\u201d he said of the fight against Mikaelian being canned. \u201cI think Jai will still end up fighting Noel next, and sometime in late August. <\/p>\n
\u201cAs you know, Jai Opetaia needs to fight someone inside the Ring top five or he gets stripped of that belt. And Noel is at number four — so it\u2019s the ideal fight.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Noel wants the fight.<\/p>\n
\u201cI actually think if the WBC pushes on [with stripping threats] there\u2019s a chance Noel will vacate and fight Jai because he knows this is the fight where he gets paid. And it\u2019s also the fight where he\u2019s convinced he has the better chance of winning for some reason.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut good on him for being convinced of that and putting his hand up. There\u2019s a lot of guys out there who could be fighting Jai but continually find excuses.\u201d<\/p>\n
Francis added another issue was Mikaelian\u2019s ageing US promoter King, now 94.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of the things he\u2019s demanding, you can\u2019t make the s*** up,\u201d the Tasman Fighters boss said. \u201cBut while he\u2019s been difficult to deal with, we\u2019re still absolutely looking to make that fight next.\u201d <\/p>\n
FUNDORA TIPS TSZYU TO EDGE SPENCE<\/p>\n
Tim Tszyu\u2019s old rival Sebastian Fundora believes the Aussie fighter will hold a crucial edge when he faces American superstar Errol Spence Jr in next month\u2019s blockbuster showdown.<\/p>\n
The world champ was asked for his prediction on the July 26 bout and admitted he is leaning towards Tszyu, despite stressing the enormous respect he still has for Spence.<\/p>\n
\u2018The Towering Inferno\u2019 believes Tszyu\u2019s recent activity could prove decisive against an opponent who has been on the sidelines a long time.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that it\u2019s an interesting fight,\u201d he told FightHype. \u201cTszyu has been losing, but at least he has been active, Spence hasn\u2019t been seen anywhere in boxing, in the ring.<\/p>\n
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 30: Sebastian Fundora poses his title belts after defeating WBO junior middleweight champion Tim Tszyu at T-Mobile Arena on March 30, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Fundora won Tszyu’s title and a vacant WBC title by split decision. (Photo by Steve Marcus\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know. I think losing to Crawford like that and then taking the layoff like that and then getting into a car accident, these things are bigger losses than the losses that Tsyzu had.<\/p>\n
\u201cI favour Tszyu in the fight. I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if Spence knocks him out, I mean Spence is still one of the top dogs, you can never take that away from him, but it\u2019s just too much of a layoff for anybody in anything. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe just can\u2019t expect to come back into the ring and be that guy that he was before.\u201d<\/p>\n
TRUMP WANTS WHITE HOUSE CAGE TO STAY<\/p>\n
Donald Trump has overnight suggested an Octagon may remain on the White House lawn for the entirety of his presidency, likening the current constructions for UFC Freedom 250 to France\u2019s iconic Eiffel Tower.<\/p>\n
Now less than two weeks out from the $60 million blockbuster, and construction is well underway for the historic Washington DC event.<\/p>\n
And while it is unclear how long the structure \u2013 which includes the infamous \u2018Claw\u2019 — will stay on the White House lawn, Trump has suggested he may keep it there for as long as he can.<\/p>\n
Explaining his decision on TikTok, Trump said: \u201cMany don\u2019t know that in Paris, France, the Eiffel Tower, 1889, it was built \u2026 it was supposed to be taken down immediately after the World\u2019s Fair. [But] they said, \u2018You know, we sort of like it. Let\u2019s leave it up a little bit longer.\u2019 And then they said let\u2019s leave it up longer and longer and longer. Well, they never took it down.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know, we\u2019re building something in front of the White House that\u2019s quite attractive to a lot of people. It\u2019s going to have the big UFC fight on June 14. And I\u2019m looking at it and maybe we\u2019ll never, ever take it down.\u201d<\/p>\n
Workers continue building the cage for a future UFC fight on the South Lawn in front of the White House, Wednesday, June 3 2026, in Washington, as work continues on the construction of the ballroom, right, as seen from the Washington Monument. (AP Photo\/Rahmat Gul)Source: AP<\/p>\n
BEAU RYAN HEADED TO UFC WHITE HOUSE<\/p>\n
Still on the White House card, and Triple M personality Beau Ryan is the latest Australian to be given a gig on ground at the impending UFC blockbuster, and will jet out for Washington DC next week with a crew including Fox League\u2019s Matty Johns and UFC featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski.<\/p>\n
As revealed on Monday, Volk will be getting himself an incredible behind-the-scenes look at the White House event given he will be cornering for Brazilian lightweight Mauricio Ruffy.<\/p>\n
The UFC champ will also be partnering up with Johns for two big preview shows out of Washington which \u2013 dubbed \u2018Matty & Volk at the White House\u2019 \u2013 will run on Friday and Saturday evening next week. <\/p>\n
SHIELDS WELCOMES TSZYU FIREFIGHT<\/p>\n
Errol Spence Jr\u2019s trainer Ronnie Shields is expecting an all-out war when his fighter takes on Tim Tszyu in Australia next month.<\/p>\n
The renowned coach, who has been working closely with \u201cThe Truth\u201d in preparation for the blockbuster showdown, was asked how he plans to keep Spence out of danger against the aggressive Aussie.<\/p>\n
While Shields revealed he has been encouraging Spence to make greater use of his jab, he conceded there will be no avoiding the exchanges once Tszyu begins applying pressure.<\/p>\n
\u201cA firefight is going to happen and you can\u2019t back away from it,\u201d Shields said on The Last Stand Podcast. \u201cTim Tszyu is this guy who comes straight forward. He\u2019s going to get close.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not going to be holding and wrestling. No, we\u2019re going to throw punches. A firefight is definitely going to happen. I\u2019m not going to take that away from Spence.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is going to be a 12-round firefight and I\u2019ve already put that in his head. We\u2019re not running from this guy. I want to meet him in the middle of the ring and control the middle.\u201d<\/p>\n
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JULY 29: Errol Spence Jr. punches Terence Crawford during the World Welterweight Championship bout at T-Mobile Arena on July 29, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Al Bello\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cI WIN THAT FIGHT\u201d: UNDEFEATED AUSSIE\u2019S BIG CHARLO CALL<\/p>\n
Australia\u2019s leading super middleweight Max McIntyre says he would\u2019ve loved a crack at America superstar Jermall Charlo, declaring: \u201cI believe 100 per cent that I win that fight\u201d.<\/p>\n
Undefeated in all 10 professional appearances, the hyped Queenslander dubbed \u2018Money\u2019 says he hasn\u2019t been approached about throwing down against Charlo on the same night Tim Tszyu faces Errol Spence Jnr.<\/p>\n
Yet despite the snub, the hyped 21-year-old is still readying for the biggest step up of his career after this week announcing he will instead throw down in July against Ukraine\u2019s Bohdan Sobol for the WBA Intercontinental title.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlthough if I\u2019d been offered Charlo, I absolutely would\u2019ve jumped at the opportunity,\u201d McIntyre told us. \u201cAnd that\u2019s because I believe 100 per cent that I win that fight.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo far in my career, I haven\u2019t even shown half of what I can do.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut only a few months back, I was in Las Vegas sparring WBC champ Lester Martinez. I also did rounds at the Top Rank gym with Al Stanton, who is the main sparring partner for Terence Crawford.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I first walked into the gym over there too, no one wanted a bar of the young, Aussie kid. But once I started sparring, everyone became more inviting.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd knowing I was able to not only hang with those guys but perform extremely well, it\u2019s given me real belief in my ability to beat those top guys.\u201d<\/p>\n
McIntyre also said he was likely done with the domestic scene.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve sent contract offers to every guy who has called me out on social media,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOffered deals to everyone at the top of the Australian scene.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut so far, nobody has replied. So we\u2019re going international now \u2026 I\u2019m going to hunt down my fights there.\u201d<\/p>\n
AUSSIE OFFERED $350K TO QUIT FIGHT<\/p>\n
Andrew Moloney has revealed he was offered almost $350,000 to step away from this Saturday\u2019s IBF super flyweight showdown against Willibaldo Garcia in Japan.<\/p>\n
Having already been twice robbed in huge title fights, 35-year-old Moloney has declared \u201cmy dream isn\u2019t for sale\u201d as he readies to face Garcia some seven years after holding a secondary version of the WBA strap.<\/p>\n
Despite being offered a huge sum to step aside \u2013 and allow US superstar Jesse \u2018Bam\u2019 Rodriguez the opportunity to unify \u2013 Moloney will instead earn a fraction of that figure as part of his push to become world champion. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I get that it\u2019s business,\u201d Moloney told The Punch Podcast. \u201cBut it felt like everyone was trying to stop this fight from happening except for me and my team.<\/p>\n
\u201cWillibaldo\u2019s camp wanted to fight Bam, obviously. Bam was desperate to get the undisputed fight because they\u2019re potentially talking about moving up.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo everyone was trying their best to stop this from happening even though I was in the mandatory position. They threw a hell of a lot of money at me to step aside \u2026 but my dream isn\u2019t for sale. I\u2019m having this fight.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the figure, he said: \u201cIt was roughly $250,000 US dollars. Which is a hell of a lot of money. Particularly to not fight. But I didn\u2019t even think twice about it \u2026 my whole life has been about becoming world champion and I wasn\u2019t willing to sell that.\u201d<\/p>\n
GSP EXPLAINS WHY ANDERSON FIGHT NEVER HAPPENED<\/p>\n
It remains the biggest fight MMA fans never got to see. <\/p>\n
Now, UFC legend Georges St-Pierre has revealed exactly why his superfight with fellow great Anderson Silva never materialised.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s one of the biggest regrets of the fans,\u201d St-Pierre said on a podcast with Demetrious Johnson.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo what happened was, at the time I was in my prime and Anderson Silva was in his prime, I can only speak from my side because I don\u2019t know what was happening on his side, but I was only asked once (if I would do the fight) by Dana.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had requests because I was like, \u2018Okay, you want me to get out of my weight class, I need to be compensated\u2019 because it\u2019s different\u2026 <\/p>\n
\u201cMy requests were that I wanted it to be put in the contract that I wanted to be compensated (with more money), I wanted it to be done at catchweight.<\/p>\n
Wild finish ends in stoppage controversy | 01:35<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the third (stipulation) was that I wanted to have drug testing implemented and the (UFC) never got back to me, they never (responded).<\/p>\n
\u201cI said \u2018if you make it 180lbs catchweight I\u2019m in, and if you compensate me, I\u2019m in\u2019, but they didn\u2019t follow up with that.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This is Fox Sports Australia\u2019s combat sports column Fighting Words, where we give you all the latest news…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":715647,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[571],"tags":[64,63,802,85],"class_list":["post-715646","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-boxing","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-boxing","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/715646","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=715646"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/715646\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/715647"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=715646"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=715646"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=715646"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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