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‘I pray he comes out healthy’ – Anthony Joshua worried for Mike Tyson as he predicts Jake Paul will win fight

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Anthony Joshua is expecting youth to overcome experience when Jake Paul faces Mike Tyson this summer.

The former heavyweight champion, though, admits he is worried about ‘Iron Mike’s’ health as he gears up to fight a man 31 years his junior.

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Paul and Tyson will clash in the summer in Texas

By the time Tyson, the youngest heavyweight champion in history, climbs into the ring against Paul he will have just celebrated his 58th birthday.

Meanwhile, ‘The Problem Child’ is in his physical prime at 27 years old and is an active professional boxer with 10 fights under his belt (9-1).

The last time Tyson competed was in 2020 when he faced Roy Jones Jr in an eight-round exhibition – his first appearance in the ring since hanging up his professional gloves in 2005.

By contrast, Paul has boxed four times since last year, though his second bout as a pro came on the undercard of Tyson vs Jones Jr and scored a knockout of former NBA player Nate Robinson.

Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul: Anthony Joshua makes prediction for huge exhibition fight | Evening Standard

When asked to pick a winner in the crossover clash, Joshua told the Jonathan Ross Show, which airs this Saturday on ITV: “He [Mike Tyson] is older now.

“I pray that he comes out healthy. I think Jake Paul [wins] because of youth – that’s the only thing.”

Paul vs Tyson is the latest blockbuster spectacle to see a retired ageing boxer pitted against an influencer.

Three years ago, Paul’s brother Logan fought Floyd Mayweather in a non-scored bout, which paved the way for others to go on and do the same.

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Joshua thinks Paul will beat Tyson

Quizzed on his thoughts about the increase in popularity of influencer boxing matches, Joshua replied: “I personally think it’s really good.

“I think the boxing hardcores, they don’t like it because they think ‘Why are they disrespecting our sport?’

“But I think that person brings all these people into boxing which benefits everyone else. Everyone viewing helps.”

Anthony Joshua makes prediction for controversial Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul fight

Paul and Tyson square off on July 20 at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas – the home of NFL side, the Dallas Cowboys.

The fight will be shown live on Netflix for free to all existing subscribers.

Tyson recently confirmed the bout is an exhibition but insisted it will be contested under ‘real fight’ rules and regulations.

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BOXING

Mike Tyson admits he is ‘scared to death’ ahead of Jake Paul fight

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The former heavyweight champion hasn’t fought for three years

As a former heavyweight boxing champion with 58 career bouts and 50 wins to his name, Mike Tyson is used to getting in the ring. But ahead of his fight with Jake Paul, the veteran admits he is fearing the worst from his exhibition match.

The pair will fight at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on July 20 in a hotly-anticipated bout, which has also attracted criticism due to the massive age gap between Tyson and Paul.

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Jake Paul’s manager denies alleged rules for Mike Tyson fight

The YouTuber is just 27 years of age and has only 10 fights to his name. Tyson, 57, hasn’t fought in the ring since his last exhibition match against Roy Jones Jr in December 2020, which ended as a draw.

It is no surprise then that Tyson, who has suffered from mobility issues in recent years, is dreading coming against the American fighter. However, he insists this all part of the process before a fight.

“I have a weird personality – I don’t think it’s weird though. Whatever I’m afraid to do, I do it. That’s how it is,” Tyson told Sean Hannity on Tuesday night. “I was afraid of the Roy [Jones Jr.] fight [in 2020].

“I was 100 pounds overweight, I was however old, 54, 53, and I said ‘Let’s do it.’ Anything I’m afraid of, I confront it. That’s my personality. Right now, I’m scared to death.”

Tyson wary of Paul threat
Video footage from Tyson’s training sessions have been uploaded onto social media as a way of dispelling theories that he could struggle to fight against Paul, who has a 9-1 record in boxing.

Paul’s reaction to those clips suggested he might have been wary of the threat posed by his opponent, with Tyson looking sharp in preparing for the fight.

And he explained how he channeled his nerves into helping him feel ‘invincible’: “I always believed that adversity and nervousness pretty much catapulted me into success,” Tyson said.

“If I didn’t have these feelings, I wouldn’t go into this fight. I have to have these feelings to fight. Without them, I would never go in the ring. As the fight gets closer, the less nervous I become, because it’s reality. And in reality, I’m invincible.”

But he admits that he knows Paul’s YouTuber days cannot be taken into account when he steps into the ring: “I saw a YouTube of him at 16 doing weird dances. That’s not the guy I’m gonna be fighting,” he added. “This guy is gonna come, he’s gonna try to hurt me, which I’m accustomed to, and he’s gonna be greatly mistaken.”

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BOXING

Savannah Marshall confirms MMA debut as boxing star on Claressa Shields collision course

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Savannah Marshall has followed her rival Claressa Shields to the PFL where she will now compete in MMA in a bout that now looks certain to be made

Claressa Shields’ biggest rival has followed her to mixed martial arts after signing with the PFL. Savannah Marshall has been announced as the latest boxer to move over to MMA, with her debut already set in the PFL – where she could eventually be reunited with Shields in a fitting end to their 10-year rivalry.

Shields and Marshall had been seen as the two best prospects in boxing heading into the 2012 Olympics, where the latter defeated the American, handing her her first loss of her amateur career.

She went on to boast an incredible 64 wins to just one loss, coming against Marshall, before both turned professional with talks of a fight for years finally coming to a head in 2022. Shields was able to exact her revenge in their professional bout – winning by unanimous decision as the two shared words of respect after the bout.

But since then, the two have gone back and forth on social media and after wins of their own, with a future fight seemingly likely – and now, potentially in a different sport.

2024 PFL vs Bellator
Shields recently impressed in her PFL win

The PFL announced Marshall will fight in Newcastle on June 8, with the PFL already announcing their intentions of a future bout with Shields.

A PFL statement read: “Savannah and Claressa Shields competed in one of the most-watched women’s boxing matchups in history when they first fought, and now with Savannah’s MMA debut, the two are on a collision course for a rematch wearing four ounce gloves and settling the score in the PFL SmartCage.”

Womens Boxing At O2 Arena
Shields defeated Marshall in 2022

The PFL have made a number of impressive signings of the last 12 months, including former UFC champion Francis Ngannou and YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.

Paul is reportedly set to make his PFL debut at some point in 2024, however no bout has yet been announced with the 27-year-old currently scheduled to face Mike Tyson in July.

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BOXING

Deontay Wilder scuppered Anthony Joshua fights because of Ayahuasca, claims former coach

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Wilder’s old coach believes a psychedelic medicine played a role in his old fighter missing out on a £100 million double bout

Deontay Wilder’s chances of landing handsomely-paid fights with Anthony Joshua were scuppered by Ayahuasca, according to the American’s former coach.

Wilder was on course to fight long-time rival Joshua in a £100 million two-fight series ahead of his defeat to Joseph Parker last December. Wilder produced a disastrous fight against Parker that scuppered the Joshua fights, and a former coach thinks he knows why.

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Wilder’s old coach Malik Scott believes the use of psychedelic medicine Ayahuasca has played a role in Wilder’s reduced hunger for violence in the ring.

Scott told Instant Casino: “I think Deontay has a killer instinct in him that you can’t suppress, but I think he enjoyed Ayahuasca. I think that it possibly did not match the attitude needed in the ring.

“Because like he said, it made him a bit content and made him have an understanding of the smaller and softer things in life. And if you’re in that type of space then violence is not a top priority.

“But when you’re in a boxing ring violence has got to be [the] top priority. Violence wasn’t a top priority that night and I think that’s why we came up short. Deontay is a killer, he’s violent, he wants to put holes through you when he punches you, that Deontay didn’t show up that night, he couldn’t pull the trigger.”

Deontay Wilder.

The comeback
Wilder is now reportedly preparing to take on Zhilei Zhang, and Scott believes his old fighter will be a man reborn as he looks to get his career back on track.

“That’s not the fighter you’re going to see in his next fight,” he added. “He’s taken the initiative to start training way earlier. He knows our back is up against the wall and we know what we need to do.

“Everything is at stake, not his legacy, he’s already a legend, but concerning becoming two-time heavyweight champion, that part of his legacy is on the line now. I do not have less belief in him, it was just a bad night at the office, I’ve seen the best of them have those nights.

I've Put My Heart Back Into Boxing – Anthony Joshua

“Zhang is dangerous, but I’m very comfortable and happy with the fight because big Zhang is someone who makes you stay alert and makes you stay elusive.

“He’s a big man and he can punch but we know what we have to do to operate on him and do surgery on him and that’s what we are going to do.

“It’s going to be a surgical performance. What I really like about the fight is how dangerous Zhang is, a very dangerous opponent and that’s going to make Deontay even better.”

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BOXING

Claressa Shields Reacts to Shakur Stevenson’s Hilarious Clip About a Party With Drake in It

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What happens when Drake shows up at your birthday party? The party would have been grand, and everyone must have had a great night. However, it seems Shakur Stevenson has to make a case for his birthday party, as he goes back and forth in a hilarious clip defending his “big” party. Even Claressa Shields couldn’t control her laughter when she watched the clip. What exactly happened?

Stevenson, 26, is enjoying his time off the ring. While the American is itching to return to the square circle, he continues to appear on podcasts and in interviews. When he sat down with Funny Marco, the conversation always hit a funny note. The host darted a question about his birthday and his party but soon pointed out that having Drake at the party didn’t make the party big. So, what exactly were the criteria that Funny Marco set?

Claressa Shield left in splits over Shakur Stevenson’s funny clip
“Sh*t Drake was there,” Stevenson, at 21-0, replied when the host inquired how big his party was. But the latter soon asked whether there were “big girls.” The lightweight boxer responded, “Big girls? No, I don’t. I ain’t see no big girls there.” That disappointed Marco, as he then labeled the party a “little party.”

However, the Newark native pleaded his case, called his party big, and mentioned that there were “a lot of people.” But Marco hit back. He said, “Definitely small.” As Stevenson again clarified that there were many people, the host specified there were “small people.” The two could later be seen talking about how fast the WBC lightweight champion was and how he could hit the host because of his reflexes.

But how Stevenson responded to Funny Marco’s questions had Claressa Shields in laughter. She turned to her Instagram handle and shared the clip on her story. Calling him a “baby,” she captioned the story, “LOL BABY BRO @SHAKURSTEVENSON.”

Shields and Stevenson share a close bond. She has come to Stevenson’s defense multiple times and hailed him as the next Floyd Mayweather. Stevenson is currently gearing up for his next fight. Meanwhile, Shields recently returned to MMA and bagged a split-decision win against Kelsey De Santis.

Who is Stevenson fighting next?
The lightweight boxer is rumored to make his first title defense against Artem Harutyunyan. Interestingly, the Armenian boxer is coming into the fight with a year-long layoff and a unanimous decision loss against Frank Martin. Therefore, the supposed fight has already raised quite a few eyebrows.

Moreover, this fight will end Stevenson’s contract with Top Rank and Bob Arum. It remains to be seen whether he can redeem himself after his last dismal performance against Edwin De Los Santos and which promotion he joins next.

What do you make of this amusing comment by Claressa Shields about Shakur Stevenson and the latter’s justification for his birthday party? Let us know in the comments below.

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BOXING

Jake Paul’s manager responds to allegedly proposed rules for the Mike Tyson fight

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Here is the response from Jake Paul’s camp to the allegedly proposed rules for the fight against Mike Tyson

Recently, there were reports of the alleged proposed rules for the Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul fight on July 20th and the Youtuber’s manager just came out to claim those are fake news. These allegedly proposed rues included bigger gloves, 2-minute rounds, no winner unless it’s a KO, both fighters getting tested for anabolic steroid use, and no judges. But Jake Paul’s manager Nikasa Bidarian uploaded a video that claims these rules are nothing but false information. He wated to offer the only details of this fight that have been confirmed to this day, which have nothing to do with these allegedly proposed rules.

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Mike Tyson is looking scary again
Bidarian is part of Jake Paul’s crew and he has been monitoring Mike Tyson’s training sessions. He uploaded a video where he offers an update on that and on alleged tickets being sold for the vent. He said: “Breaking news, there is no news. Stop spreading fake news, there’s no truth regarding Jake Paul-Mike Tyson. Here’s what is true, 1. Mike Tyson is in unbelievable shape and training like he hasn’t in many, many years and is looking scary for Jake Paul. 2. There are no tickets for sale. 3. Over 85,000 people have signed up to get access to tickets when they go on sale, this is going to be a historic event.”

Despite this new information, there is still concern for Mike Tyson’s well-being due to his age and the dangers he could face for getting hit in the head. People like Dana White or Eddie Hearn have been very vocal against watching Mike Tyson getting into the ring with the Youtuber. At the end of the day, we will only know how ready Mike Tyson is for a fight like this until he steps on that ring. But the training videos of him with that ripped physique show him looking scary and still with some of the same speed he had during his prime. People would love to know about the rules that will be approved for this fight, stay tuned for an update.

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BOXING

Mike Tyson didn’t hesitate when naming which boxing legend he wanted to face the most from any era

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Mike Tyson didn’t hesitate when he was asked to name his dream opponent from any era as he named a boxing legend.

Tyson took on all comers during his legendary professional career, fighting some of the biggest names of his generation.

He faced Evander Holyfield in back-to-back fights and had memorable showdowns against the likes of Larry Holmes, Michael Spinks and Lennox Lewis.

The 57-year-old, who fought fellow boxing icon Roy Jones Jr in an exhibition back in November 2020, makes his return to the ring on July 20 when he takes on Jake Paul.

During an interview with Steve Farhood on ShoBox, ‘Iron’ Mike was asked to name his dream opponent from any era to which he immediately opted for Floyd Mayweather.

Farhood laughed and said he ‘loved’ the answer before the former world heavyweight champion dug deep into why a fight with Mayweather would’ve been interesting.

“Well, I would love to have fought him. I wish he was my weight,” he explained. “We can never fight, of course, because of the weight difference, but I wouldn’t fight him the way they fought him.”

Floyd Mayweather celebrates a victory. Image: Getty

Mayweather walked away from the sport undefeated, recording a stunning 50-0 professional record.

But Tyson believes he’d have known exactly how to deal with Mayweather. He added: “I would be mean, I would be dirty. Because you’d have to do everything to fight him because he’s just so good.

“You can’t… it’s almost impossible to fight him clean. It’s just so hard to beat him.

“I don’t care. It’s really hard to beat him. The style he deploys – it’s really difficult to beat him in that particular style.

“I don’t care. Love him or hate him, he’s a hard man to beat. I would fight a guy like Floyd differently if he was a heavyweight.”

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BOXING

“They want to see a rematch” – Isaac Cruz says fans want to see him fight Gervonta Davis once again

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A FIGHTER’S career will have a win or defeat that creates a moment where everything changed for them.

When the time comes to look back on their biggest nights in the ring, they will want to tell you stories of success and glory, not tales of regret where they were remembered as the nearly man or woman.

Isaac Cruz, 25-2-1 (17), is now into his 10th year as a pro. A blip in his sixth fight losing to Luis Montano Alvarez over eight rounds was a lesson for Cruz about discipline, commitment, and improvement.

His progression, though, continued and the Mexican’s career took off in America by putting his pressure tactics to good use to beat Thomas Mattice in 2020. This was followed by a spectacular performance against Diego Magdaleno with the fight finishing in 53 seconds. The momentum continued in 2021 with a physically tough win against veteran Francisco Vargas.

Later that year “Pitbull” Cruz faced the challenge of emerging superstar Gervonta “Tank” Davis. This was to be the defining night in the career of Cruz, at lightweight, in front of over 15,000 fans inside the Stapes Centre in Los Angeles. The Mexico City battler used his strength and pressure to give Davis the toughest night of his career and ended the Baltimore boxer’s 16-fight knockout streak. Despite his best-efforts Cruz lost by unanimous decision but his reputation and credibility had increased.

Gervonta Davis vs. Isaac Cruz full fight video highlights - MMA Fighting

Twenty-five months later and Cruz is back in the world title picture and his debut at super-lightweight will see him compete for the WBA’s 140lbs world title against Rolando Romero. Their bout acts as chief support to Tim Tszyu vs. Sebastian Fundora in what is Amazon Prime’s first night as broadcast partner to Premier Boxing Champions.

Cruz lost out against Davis and to this day is still best known to fans for his performance. A showing which bettered the efforts of Romero – who lost to Davis in 2022 – and Ryan Garcia’s defeat during his modern-day super-fight against Davis last April.

“I’m focused on March 30 but it’s impossible to have people forget about the Gervonta Davis [fight] because they want to see a rematch,” Cruz told Boxing News.

Gervonta Davis survives strong effort from Isaac Cruz to win decision

“So, becoming a world champion will give me a greater possibility of obtaining a rematch but first thing’s first, March 30 and getting the win there.”

Rolando Romero, 15-1 (13 KOs) has typically tried to get under the skin of Cruz during the build-up with his own brand of trash talking. The 28-year-old won his belt 10 months ago in an underwhelming effort against elder statesman of the lightweight division Ismael Barroso. The ninth-round stoppage was a bizarre ending after referee Tony Weeks waved the contest off when very few, if any, punches landed on the Colombian.

BN asked Cruz that regardless of his low opinion of Romero does he think his opponent is a good fighter.

“I respect everybody and he’s a champion for a reason and that’s all I have to say about that.”

Moving on, then…

Earlier this month on March 19 marked the ninth anniversary of Cruz’s professional debut at just 16 years old. A one-round knockout victory against Luis Yan Revilla was the beginning of his adventure and described the time since then as “amazing”.

“They’ve been nine amazing years and we have been evolving and achieving what we want to achieve. There’s also been nine tough years but out of those tough parts we took the best from them, and I’ve been able to become a better person and a better fighter for it.”

“Winning the world title will be a dream come true,” he added. “A culmination of years of effort and it will be about seizing the opportunity after so much time and it will be the confirmation of everything I’ve strived for in my career.”

Gervonta 'Tank' Davis vs. Isaac Cruz: The Big Fight Preview - Everything you need to know | DAZN News US

Defeat to Romero borders on unthinkable for Cruz. He hasn’t come this far to be beaten by someone he has disdain for. And while winning his first major title would mean everything the hopes of landing a financially rewarding rematch against Gervonta Davis will be shredded if he doesn’t beat “Rolly” on Saturday night.

“It will be a huge disappointment,” Cruz said of the possibility.

“I will be basically throwing [away] everything that I’ve done and strived for nine years of my career. And the last three months of preparation will go straight in the trash. I don’t want that to happen.”

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“He made the highlight film”: Bill Haney Targets Floyd Mayweather for Creating Devin Haney vs Gervonta Davis Sparring Fiasco

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The lead-up to the fight between Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney is filled with name-calling. The latter’s father-cum-trainer, Bill Haney, has now roped in Floyd Mayweather and his business aide, Leonard Ellerbe, accusing the duo of recording a controversial sparring video of his son, that went viral earlier this month.

Hostilities percolate deep within for the 20th April matchup. ‘Ry’ in his means of pulling down his opponent, leaked a video of Gervonta Davis causing serious damage to ‘The Dream’ in an old sparring session at the Mayweather Gym. While it looked like the controversy had died down in light of Ry’s other internet antics, it seems like senior Haney is still sore about it.

Bill Haney speaks up for his son!
When asked about the video that showed his son taking some major beating, a riled-up Bill Haney blamed Mayweather and his promotion company’s CEO Leonard Ellerbe for recording the video. He remarked to Fight Hub TV, “He didn’t leak the video, he made the highlight film and then gave it to Ryan Garcia to leak it.”

As per reports, the video dates back to when Devin, now 25, was almost 17 and ‘Tank’, now 29 was 21. In the video, Tank can be seen going hard at Haney, leaving him hardly any moment to recuperate. While it showed the 2-division champion under heavy pressure, he claimed that the fight was edited to omit the last few moments of it.

Why did they not release the entire video, though? Senior noted, “Same reason why Floyd didn’t show the video of Devin when he got in his a**. Imma tell you this one time, I guarantee you, after Floyd got in there with Devin, he rethought boxing from a professional standpoint and not an exhibition standpoint.”

In an earlier interview, Senior Haney claimed that when ‘Money’ and his son sparred, the former welterweight champion was not even close to making it equal to Devin Haney. He noted, “He should’ve showed the sparring video of him and Devin while he’s showing all those sparring videos. And it was 6-0, it wasn’t close.”

The Haneys and Mayweather are not on good terms. Post the ‘KingRy’ fight, if he successfully dominates it, Haney will strongly push for a fight against the WBA light titlist, Tank. While he is no longer associated with ‘Pretty Boy’, there are worries if his cordial relationship with the latter implicates the fight against Haney. To these concerns, Bill Haney has an answer.

Gervonta Davis vs Devin Haney - COUNTDOWN (FULL HD) - YouTube

‘Money’ cannot harm Devin Haney vs. Gervonta Davis
In the conversation, Bill Haney observed that his beef with Mayweather and Ellerbe would not jeopardise a fight between his son and Davis. After all, it is the audience that seeks this fight, and their wish is his command.

He explained, “No, the people pay the bills. Leonard don’t pay the bills. Floyd don’t pay the bills. The people, all you guys, pay for the fight. They can’t, we don’t dictate that. You guys put the bullseye on a fighter’s back. Leonard don’t dictate nothing.”

What do you think about the entire fiasco between the Haneys and Garcia-Mayweather? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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Gervonta Davis Sends Wishes to Families Affected by Bridge’s Collapse in Baltimore Amid Rising Concerns

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A dark cloud hangs over Baltimore, Maryland, the hometown of undefeated boxer Gervonta Davis. A cargo ship rammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday, causing a partial collapse and leaving a city in shock. The incident has taken a tragic turn, with officials presuming the six missing individuals as dead.

Search efforts have been paused as the city grapples with the aftermath of this disaster. Reports suggest the ship lost power, leading to the high-speed collision. Davis sent his prayers for the families of the victims of such a disaster, as he expressed his condolences on social media.

Gervonta Davis supports his hometown
The Coast Guard confirmed the worst: six lives were lost after a cargo ship slammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Search efforts have ended, but the search for answers has just begun. The cause? A “power issue” that left the ship barreling towards the bridge at high speed. A distress call went out, but it was too late. Governor Moore vowed to rebuild the bridge, a monument not just to the city’s infrastructure, but to the lives tragically cut short.

President Biden stepped in, pledging to fully fund the rebuilding effort and get Baltimore’s vital port operational again. On the same note, even Davis felt bad for his hometown people. On X, he wrote, “Prayers out for all the families affected by the bridge collapsing in Baltimore this morning…” Davis is getting ready to face his next opponent, Frank Martin soon, but this comes as a great setback for the boxer.

However, his rival Ryan Garcia also spoke on this matter and prayed for the recovery. Along the same lines, there have been many rumors about Garcia foreseeing this disaster.

Ryan Garcia comes out of his character in the face of disaster
Ryan Garcia, the young boxing star with lightning-fast fists, is now making headlines for something entirely different: his social media pronouncements. Garcia has taken a sharp turn towards conspiracy theories, accusing powerful figures of devil worship and claiming to possess shocking evidence. These online rants have left fans bewildered. Is this a publicity stunt, a cry for attention, or something more?

Now, Garcia has also given his condolences to all the victims of the bridge collapse. At the same time, he didn’t confirm or deny the ongoing rumors about his alleged premonition. He wrote, “I will say that it is not me who knows but God, the Holy Spirit speaking through me. There are times I forget what I say, like I said I pray for the people affected by this tragedy in Baltimore. Half my tweets were deleted and not by my doing To God receive the Glory not me.”

Despite Garcia’s vague tweet, he expressed his agony for all the people who were impacted by this incident. Hopefully, Baltimore will move on from this tragic happening as soon as possible. Let’s pray for the victims together, and share your thoughts in the comments section.

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