Zelda

More damning stuff coming out... So, the driver, Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, 46, is being charged with four counts: - dangerous driving causing death, - reckless and negligent driving, - driving without due care and attention - causing bodily harm and damage to property, and - driving without a valid driving licence The 46-year-old driver is a longstanding member of the boxer’s team, and was granted bail of 5m naira (£2,580), but will remain in custody until he meets bail conditions. He is due to appear in court on 20 January. The Federal Road Safety Corps in Nigeria said they believed the vehicle was travelling “beyond the legally prescribed speed limit”.

Officials are mum about the driver in the AJ crash. From local sources, however, it is said the driver was at a high speed and trying to wrongfully overtake (undertake) on the expressway while going from Lagos to Ibadan, near Sagamu interchange, just before the Danco Filling Station in Makun. It is a busy area, and there were multiple eyewitnesses. As per information from local witnesses and what the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) officer mentioned on the first day, the traffic was high, and AJ's driver tried to undertake another car at speed using the shoulder. That is when they encountered a parked lorry (heavy truck) full of Soya Beans. The driver tried to avoid it but only managed to avoid his side and hit the passenger side, where the two people who died were seated in the front and back, respectively. AJ was seated behind the driver. They were also going in a convoy with AJ' SUV, a bulletproof Lexus, in the front and followed by his security in a Mitsubishi Pajero SUV. The two people died instantly from a direct blow to the head as their side hit the truck, and a part of its metal body went through the windscreen and hit both the front and rear passengers on that side. AJ is said to be conscious but waiting around 8-10 minutes inside the SUV until the FRSC car arrived. It was then decided to take him to the hospital instead of waiting for the ambulance, which would have taken some time. Initially, some people reported that the driver may have been either related or from the same village (tribal connection) to AJ, and due to the president telephoning and governors of two states involved, the police and FRSC did not know if the driver is to be charged or not (yes, money and connections are big things in Nigeria...and frankly, most of the underdeveloped world). So, they kept mum about it while also gathering detailed information and formal statements. The tire burst theory is a new addition, as per the driver's statement. It is yet to be verified and ascertained that if a tyre burst did in fact occur, it was during normal driving or when they took the shoulder to overtake (undertake), as in many cases, the shoulder is not always paved or in good shape. There are no marks to collaborate with the tyre burst and loss of control theory, like screeching marks. A very unfortunate incident. May the deceased RIP. Building on this narration, there is a new video of interviews from eyewitnesses that corroborates what I said, but they claim that the driver did not undertake voluntarily, but because someone pulled in front of them wrongly. I am putting the video here, but this might test your "English" skills even if you're a native speaker. And don't rely on the auto-generated text because it too cannot follow and misses or changes words/context. However, it will clearly show you the appalling traffic and (lack of) rules. It's truly a free-for-all "expressway". More specifically, look at an oil tanker parked at the same location (1:36 in the video), cars using all lanes for all speeds, including heavy trucks in the fast lane (at 1:38 in the video), people jaywalking by climbing over the center divider on an expressway (2:00 in the video), no access control meaning you can freely enter/exit, stop by a local shop, etc., cars driving the wrong way (3:16 in the video), and you can listen to the actual witness' narration (7:11 in the video). They also mention that accidents happen very frequently on that road. At 15:11, you can again see someone jaywalking even as some officials are standing there. Finally, they show some remaining pieces of the car, particularly a side bulletproof glass (15:45 in the video), which the guy says was "a very strong car". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSiQ1RA_maI

Usyk is 39, and I see him wanting to fight people in his age bracket (or at least 30+). I don't think he would want to go against a young and dangerous Itauma at this stage of his career. Fabio or Kabayel, maybe, if the pay is right. For his last 2-3 fights, it might just be about big money. Don't be surprised if he fights Wilder, rematches one of Fury or AJ for a 3rd time, and finishes off with Jake Paul. At least Jake will bring more money than Itauma, Kabayel, and Sanchez combined.

Officials are mum about the driver in the AJ crash. From local sources, however, it is said the driver was at a high speed and trying to wrongfully overtake (undertake) on the expressway while going from Lagos to Ibadan, near Sagamu interchange, just before the Danco Filling Station in Makun. It is a busy area, and there were multiple eyewitnesses. As per information from local witnesses and what the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) officer mentioned on the first day, the traffic was high, and AJ's driver tried to undertake another car at speed using the shoulder. That is when they encountered a parked lorry (heavy truck) full of Soya Beans. The driver tried to avoid it but only managed to avoid his side and hit the passenger side, where the two people who died were seated in the front and back, respectively. AJ was seated behind the driver. They were also going in a convoy with AJ' SUV, a bulletproof Lexus, in the front and followed by his security in a Mitsubishi Pajero SUV. The two people died instantly from a direct blow to the head as their side hit the truck, and a part of its metal body went through the windscreen and hit both the front and rear passengers on that side. AJ is said to be conscious but waiting around 8-10 minutes inside the SUV until the FRSC car arrived. It was then decided to take him to the hospital instead of waiting for the ambulance, which would have taken some time. Initially, some people reported that the driver may have been either related or from the same village (tribal connection) to AJ, and due to the president telephoning and governors of two states involved, the police and FRSC did not know if the driver is to be charged or not (yes, money and connections are big things in Nigeria...and frankly, most of the underdeveloped world). So, they kept mum about it while also gathering detailed information and formal statements. The tire burst theory is a new addition, as per the driver's statement. It is yet to be verified and ascertained that if a tyre burst did in fact occur, it was during normal driving or when they took the shoulder to overtake (undertake), as in many cases, the shoulder is not always paved or in good shape. There are no marks to collaborate with the tyre burst and loss of control theory, like screeching marks. A very unfortunate incident. May the deceased RIP.

Hands down,chin high...it will end brutally very soon How soon Larry? 4 years and 9 title defences later, that "very soon" is yet to come. 6"9" Fury who was 40lbs heavier couldn't do it. Heavy hitting Ortiz couldn't do it. Both hit him with multiple clean shots. Agreed Wilder ain't the most skilful fighter, but he ain't no walk in the park either. Even the greatest of heavyweights have gone down, but I doubt Wilder will go without putting up a fight.

AI is as good as the training data provided to it. So if the system is going to be trained on previous fights (and its corrupt/incompetent judging), it is not hard to believe it to have in-built bias. Secondly, AI does sometimes struggle with video motion with humans (and quite a fast one). To have a more capable AI system would need to recreate a 3D model of the fight and judge it which means installing cameras from different angles. So, at this stage, what we could aim for is to have every substantial boxing match be recorded from multiple angles suited for AI and act as an assistance to human judges. This needs to be done for some time before AI can take over somewhere down the line.

Checking back in, looks like just in time. What did I miss? Itauma destroying that tomato can in rd 1

It was close, 8-4 was harsh. No issue with Usyk getting it. I thought a draw. I actually thought both looked older tonight. Usyk is slowing down but he is late 30s. He's only got a couple of fights left in him at best Fury is younger but further gone. 2019-2020 Fury beats any version of Usyk but that's not there anymore. The AI had it 118 - 112 in favor of Usyk so, No it wasn't close. Fury came in with the Wilder 2 mindset but forgot his opponent was not Wilder. He certainly was more aggressive but couldn't hit with power shots to hurt Usyk. And Usyk, much like Ali, will take you into deeper waters in the second half of the fight and just summon his reserve energy to beat you on stamina, speed, and work rate. I agree with your second comment though. I too saw a hint of Usyk showing his age here both on his face and his boxing. He may not be able to do many more fights at this level.

Thank God justice was done! Awesome Usyk....just awesome. I am so happy to have my prediction wrong.

I predict a Fury win here. He looks fully motivated and focused.

I think both Joshua and Dubois were in standby mode...if Usyk wins, Dubois jumps into the ring for a rematch but had Fury won, Joshua would have demanded an all-Britain showdown. In reality, Dubois's win against Parker won't be as easy as his win over AJ. So, let's see where we go from here.

Warren complaining about Fury getting just 4 rounds...actually AI gave Fury only 2 so the hoomans were actually generous to him.

I think Usyk just edged it, particularly because you have to dominate to get the belts from a champion, but I fear he will be robbed here.

AI had it 118-112. I think its time to get rid of the hoomans

The grand plan is to open up and make Saudi the next big tourist and investment destination in the region kinda what Dubai did. They believe they got a bad reputation because of decades of tight restrictions, closed society, laws, and underdevelopment and have much more to offer than others in the region in terms of variety (it is a much larger country), consumer market (larger population), economic opportunities (it is the largest economy in the region), investment (trillion dollar + economy), development (they have bigger funds to make bigger things), etc. It is not just boxing but overall development along the Red Sea, developing historic tourist destinations (al Ulaa), building hotels and resorts, office and residential skyscrapers, opening up investment opportunities, long-term residency, making companies make Saudi their regional headquarters if they want Saudi govt contracts, changing labor laws, relaxing other strict laws, relaxing visa restrictions, etc. Sure it will take time because nothing happens overnight and laws need to be changed gradually to prevent unrest but they are on track with that vision and all these events are part of rebranding the country. So, that is where their return on investment lies, not in making a profit from boxing fights.

Round 1 - Fury Round 2 - Usyk Round 3 - Usyk Round 4 - Fury Round 5 - Fury Round 6 - Usyk Round 7 - Usyk Round 8 - Usyk Round 9 - Fury Round 10 - Usyk Round 11 - Usyk Round 12 - Usyk ​116 - 112 in favor of Usyk

Yeah, Fury`s CV is poor speaking of top 10 opponents. Bakole, Parker, Dubois, Kabayel, Zhang all are good fight for him. With two losses already and near the end of his career, I doubt he cares about his CV that much. It is not like he's going to use it for something next. Both AJ and Fury will fight where the money is and that is only if they fight each other. Neither fights a hungry young heavy hitter and nobody's interested in fighting Kabayel or Zhang for less money. A two-fight contract between Fury and Joshua and they both retire afterward. If AJ wins, he may try to sneak a title if it were held by Charles Martin or Kabayel or Hrgovic. For sure, Usyk won't be there after they fight twice and they probably will avoid Dubois/Parker.

Looks fat to me LOL True. That first round look just like they were feeling each other. How do you score that? This will depend on the judges style preferences.

yeah how dare you go up to wilder and offer him 100 million dollars thats insulting! wilder was never lowballed. you can look at the facts. wilder was offered 12 million when his career high was 2 million. thats not a lowball...at all. then when wilder became more popular he was offered 100 million. obviously we know thats not a lowball as he made nowhere close to that over the course of his next 3 fights. should we even mention wilders fake offer to joshua? ill fight you and give you 50 million. joshua says lets see the contract. wilder doesnt send. thats a bluff. thats a bluff that got called. that obviously means he wasnt interested in the fight. wilder cherry picked fury and gave him a great deal because he wanted furys name on his resume. remember fury was fighting nobodies and getting no traction on the major networks at that point. after the first fight wilder kinda had to rematch fury to clear his name and prove himself, obviously he failed but the fact that wilder was so agreeable to fury and not to joshua should show you what he was up to. fury fight was considered easier so he was very generous to fury, joshua who offered way more money and prestige at the time was rejected...claims of lowballs and ducking and a media blitz to try and smear joshua when wilder and team knew they were going in a softer direction. very scummy Joshua fought neither Fury nor Joshua. That should tell you enough. At least Wilder and Fury were able to make a deal. And, no, that 100m was not just to fight AJ but a multi-fight deal which may have led to an AJ fight and involved multiple stuff like broadcasting, sponsorships, etc. Even the DAZN head at that time admitted they messed up with the deal. The offer to AJ was legit, even Eddie confirmed that. Even if Wilder had agreed to a lump sum instead of a split, it would not have happened because AJ lost to Ruiz, because the deal was for Wilder to have 3 fights on DAZN, including a warm-up fight before taking on AJ. Those fights were Wilder vs Breazeale and AJ vs Ruiz. The deal heavily favored Joshua since he would have been paid more, gotten the sponsorships, and a part of the profit (since AJ and Eddie are investors in DAZN). The deal from Wilder's side was simple....have a 50-50 split, but Eddie and AJ refused that. We have gone over these he-said-she-said dozens of times during 2018-2020. No point going over past stuff. What happened, happened, and it's only after the Saudis stepped in that fights got made, but neither AJ nor Wilder were able to retain their titles for us to have seen that fight. And whatever the case was, the point I was making was that Wilder was dangerous then, not now. Irrespective of why that fight did not happen, it doesn't change the reality today. Wilder today is finished as a boxer and is only a fraction of what he used to be, whether or not you believe he ever was any good or dangerous.

Wilder is done in boxing. His losses and lack of activity have taken the love of the sport from him. He no longer has the aggression, the confidence, or the ability to take a punch, and is just a fraction of what he was. Age, father time, loss, and inactivity are all factors in that. Wilder no longer has to protect his 0, so he might be looking for some last payday(s) against Joshua, hoping that Turki might put up some money for that.

Frank Warren is good at hyping his fighters, and Turki is also fond of Itauma as a future star for the Riyadh Season. Beyond that, I agree that Moses is totally untested against any live opponent. I also do not consider him beating Whyte a done deal, irrespective of how rusty or old Whyte may be. It is still a dangerous fight for Moses Itauma.

If Turki is not willing to pay him a good money for Parker fight, he may just retire. There are not many good fighters to fight. I have a feeling that if Moses beats Dillian convincingly (which I doubt, as I won't be surprised if Dillian wins this), then it's Moses vs. Usyk next. Alternatively, Moses fights Parker for the title, and Usyk takes a relatively lesser fight (Wilder, some MMA guy, etc.) in the interim, with a promise of a high-paying Usyk vs Itauma farewell fight. With Joshua, Fury, and Wilder now finished goods and nobody else being a 'big name', they will probably try to build Moses into a name and the next champion, so that they continue to have lucrative fights in the future.

They've run out of British hype jobs for Usyk to feast on twice.Usyk needs to fight Parker and defend the undisputed tag. If he fights anyone else, he'll get stripped and his legacy will be diluted cos all he would have done is expose how Brit promoters held the straps to ransom with ducks and rematches hyping up 3 flawed and fragile losers in Joshua, Fury and Dubois. The mill will keep churning out more...we already have Moses Itauma. He might be a good boxer but has been hyped up far more than he has achieved or the level of opposition he fought.

A lot depends on Aug 16 and two things - IF and HOW Moses wins that fight. I can see Moses fight Parker for the vacant WBO (assuming Moses wins and Usyk vacates) and the winner fighting Usyk next year.

Usyk is a latecomer to the party and only has 1-2 fights left in him. He has done enough to prove himself in the boxing world and would be looking at the most lucrative fight(s). That fight may not be Parker if Turki does not put up the money. I won't be surprised if Parker fights Itauma (provided he wins), and the winner will get the option to face Usyk (if he is still around). In the meantime, Usyk faces Kabayel or Fury, or someone else.

Itauma vs Parker for the vacant belt and unification with Usyk if he decides to continue fighting.

Fury is still ducking Joshua. You weren't able to realize that? Yes, wait till people are retired or semi-retired to start saying they are ducking. Why did Joshua not fight Wilder or Fury in 2018-2020? Why were Wilder and Fury able to negotiate, but both failed negotiations with AJ and Eddie? Anyway, this is old stuff. Only Saudis are able to make any meaningful fights nowadays.

joshua didnt fight himself? i think you mean wilder and no that doesnt tell us anything. it tells us he didnt fight them but not why. poor argument, especially since i just explained how and why the wilder fight didnt happen so you cant possibly use that as evidence agaisnt joshua. from the info i have seen fury didnt seem keen to take on joshua but i havent delved deep into that so lets put that aside. if you just want to go on resumes...joshuas is 10 times better than wilders which tells us he was more willing to take risks. joshua not fighting wilder is because wilder didnt want to take risks. thats a negative against wilder, not joshua. no he never admitted that. he admitted the email was real. that does not mean the offer was real and we found out it wasnt real when wilder refused to send any contract which confirms he was bluffing. joshua was way more popular than wilder so yeah that makes perfect sense. it wasnt a 50-50 fight. thats called pricing yourself out. aka ducking. you dont see that? its like benavidez saying i want 50-50 vs canelo. oh canelo doesnt agree canelo is ducking? umm no. also wilder had no possible way to make 100 million unless he fought joshua so yeah he made much less. but its not he said she said. no false equivalencies please. wilder admitted the 100 million was real and said he was staying with pbc to be loyal. hearn and joshua admitted the wilder offer wasnt real when wilder didnt send it so yeah its literally the exact opposite. the fight only was signed when wilder was exposed and was ready to cash out, and then he still couldnt get to it being a heavy favorite to beat parker. and my point is he was never very good. yeah im sure he was better but he never really beat anyone besides ortiz who was good but not special as well as 40 and wilder needed a very long break to recover, in fact he looked terrible in most of his fights actually. did you see the long line of bums they set him up with? when he stepped up in competition he was blown away easily. he was the definition of hype. they tried to cherry pick fury when he was at his worst and still should have lost that fight, when fury got his rhythm back he beat wilder easily twice, parker easily beat him, zhang easily. just non competitive bouts, similar to ortiz outboxing wilder cept these guys were better, werent as old, and were in better shape so he had no chance to catch him with his overrated power. good fighters were wilders kryptonite. Not sure if you were around at that time but promoters weren't really friendly or making big fights back then. Eddie did accept that the fight money was there against Wilder (its on Youtube but you will have to search it from the hundreds of interviews Eddie gives every year). The offer to Wilder was from DAZN and was to have these fights on DAZN by signing a deal with them. All sorts of contractual obligations/issues are associated with such deals, and it is more than just the boxer accepting the money. Wilder was with AL Haymon and PBC, with deals with Showtime. DAZN was a new platform that nobody knew would survive or not. The dynamics at that time were different from today. No fight was signed with Wilder for the AJ fight. It was a possibility/discussion if Wilder had beaten Parker, which we know never happened, and it was not by Eddie but by the Saudis. That is what I said, that it took the Saudis to negotiate separately with each boxer to make big fights because the promoters were not able to do that before. Yes, Wilder was never a great boxer but was still good enough to have KO'ed Joshua back in 2018-19.

Usyk defeated all the top heavyweights from various promotions. They aren't the quality we had in the 90s. None of these guys would make it to the top 5 in the 90s, and some not even in the top 8. Usyk ain't fought a fighter at the level of Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis, David Tua, Riddick Bowe, etc. in HW.

Seriously, Foreman moved like he was stuck in treacle and would never land a glove on Usyk, as for Frazier, don't make me laugh. Holmes is the only one who id say would win more than a round vs Usyk but Usyk would figure out his jab within 3 or 4 rounds and sweep the last 8. The so called "greatest" couldn't even get away from stuff mummy Foreman and had live and death vs bum Frazier 3x One of the most stupid threads out there! Usyk got a MD against Joshua and Fury. His score against Chisora was 115-113 by two of the judges, with the third scoring it 117-112. So, these guys must be way, way better than Frazier, Shavers, Liston, Foreman, Lyle, Williams, Cooper, Patterson, Chuvalo, Norton? So, Chisora can win rounds against Usyk, but Ali's opponents could not?