Liam 'Beefy' Smith said he will "fight anyone" after beating Jessie Vargas at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.

The light-middleweight from Liverpool was in top form in New York, largely dominating Vargas before the fight was eventually stopped in the 10th round.

The crowd were mainly in the corner of Smith, with the fight part of the undercard for Katie Taylor's victory against Amanda Serrano.

Speaking to Matchroom Boxing after the win, Smith was grateful for the support he received, though admitted he was not entirely satisfied with his performance.

"Obviously it feels good," he said. "The whole occasion, the whole set-up, the reception I got in Madison Square Garden is one I'll never forget.

"It was not the greatest of performances to be brutally honest with you… but I said I'd break him and even though as I said, I wasn't up to scratch early on, I knew I'd get to Jessie and size would play a big part in it.

"He was slower than I thought. I thought he'd be very sharp early on and he was slower, but I was just waiting too long and when I got there to throw, he was just naughty with his head, he just come straight in.

"I'm surprised I was only cut twice as there was some bad clashes of heads in that fight. I just couldn't really get off early doors until he slowed."

The 33-year-old was asked if his cuts may have given Vargas some extra motivation as he fought back later in the contest.

"Yeah it did," Smith said. "Obviously anyone sees a bit of blood and you get a second wind, but I hit him with a body shot in seven or eight that he felt that. I think towards the end of nine he was on the verge of going, to be fair to him he aimed at a body shot, it was just a weird one that hurt me, so I just had to regroup a little bit.

"Then the bell went, and then round 10 I just put it right back on him, and I heard the referee saying to him 'show me something Jessie'."

When asked about what could be next for him, Smith refused to focus on one name, but put out more of an open challenge, saying: "I've always been open to any fight. I've chased names for years so it's pointless me mentioning [Kell] Brook, mentioning [Chris] Eubank.

"My phone's always on so anyone wants to fight, I've got my gumshield in my bag, I'll fight anywhere."

Elsewhere, Shakur Stevenson took Oscar Valdez's WBC junior lightweight title by unanimous decision at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas.

The win was the 18th of Stevenson's undefeated career, and despite an even first few rounds, rarely looked in trouble after countering an overhand left to drop his opponent in the sixth.

Taking advantage of the moment, Stevenson chose his post-fight interview to propose to his girlfriend, rapper Young Lyric, who said yes.

Katie Taylor has targeted another battle with Amanda Serrano after creating history with a split-decision victory in front of 19,187 fans at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.

The 35-year-old retained her status as undisputed lightweight champion after edging a thrilling bout with nine-time world champion Serrano in New York.

Two of the three judges scored the action-packed fight in Taylor's favour in what was the first women's contest to headline the famous arena.

After achieving another first in her career, the Irishwoman is open to fighting Serrano once again on home soil in Dublin later this year.

"We have to do this again," Taylor said. "It was an absolute war for 10 rounds. I'm grateful to be in this position and sell out Madison Square Garden. Look what we've just done.

"I said before that when you think Madison Square Garden, you think Muhammad Ali v Joe Frazier, but now everyone will be thinking of Katie Taylor v Amanda Serrano.

"I knew I was going to have to dig deep and go to the trenches. I have the heart as well as the skill. I knew I was going to be able to pull through.

"She's a phenomenal fighter. A great, great person. It was a privilege to fight her again."

She added: "A rematch would be absolutely phenomenal, and if it was in Dublin we could sell-out Croke Park I'd say, 90,000 people. That would be unbelievable.

"We've seen something special here tonight. Imagine fighting in front of 80,000 or 90,000 people in Croke Park."

Defeat for Serrano, who has won titles in seven weight divisions, was her first since 2012 and just the second of a 45-fight career.

"Katie is a great champion," Serrano said. "She's undefeated and undisputed. I'm truly honoured to share the ring. 

"Women can sell, women can fight and women can put on a hell of a show."

Tyson Fury declared "I'm done" and reaffirmed his intentions to retire from boxing after successfully defending his WBC heavyweight belt against Dillian Whyte.

The undefeated Fury delivered a brutal sixth-round knockout of Whyte at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, and either side of the fight suggested he will call it a day on his career following the all-British bout.

Fury, 33, speaking on Piers Morgan's show 'Uncensored' on Talk TV, reiterated his desire to retire from boxing, despite speculation surrounding potential clashes with Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk.

Beaten challenger Whyte, who did not feel the referee should have stopped the bout, is also hungry for another shot at Fury.

"This is the truth, the gospel truth, nothing but the truth – I'm done," Fury said.

"Every good dog has its day and like the great Roman leader said, 'there will always be somebody else to fight'.

"When is enough, enough? I'm happy, I'm healthy, I've still got my brains and I can still talk. I've got a beautiful wife, six kids, I've got umpteen belts, plenty of money, success, fame, glory – what more am I doing it for?

"Boxing is a very dangerous sport. You can be taken out with one punch as we've seen on Saturday and it's one unlucky blow and you may not get up off that canvas.

"I'm quitting while I'm ahead, I'm undefeated and only the second man in history to retire as undefeated heavyweight champion.

"I'm very, very happy, very content in my heart with what I've done and what I've achieved."

Fury, should his claims prove to be true, will join American great Rocky Marciano as the only heavyweight champions to retire with an unbeaten record.

Questions persist whether Fury will face UFC star Francis Ngannou in a boxing-mixed martial arts exhibition event or reappear in professional wrestling after his WWE appearances in 2019.

Yet even if offered the mouth-watering prospect of fighting fellow Brit Joshua or Ukrainian Usyk – who are set to face off in a rematch for the IBF, WBO and WBA-Super belts – Fury insists he will not return to professional boxing.

"It's not worth it," he said. "I've got four young kids to raise and two older ones, I've been away for the last 10 years all over the world travelling for boxing.

"When do I get time to be a father, a husband, a brother, a son? I need this personal time. The fans will always want more, they're always baying for more blood, but at the end of the day I don't have any more to give.

"I've given everything I've got, I've been a professional for 14 years and been boxing for over 20 years.

"Every good dog has its day in the sun and my time is to go out on a high. I always said I wanted to walk away on top of the sport and do it on my terms and didn't want to be the person who said I should have been retired two years ago or whatever.

"They will not forget 'The Gypsy King' in a hurry – and no amount of material assets or money will make me come back out of retirement because I'm very happy."

WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman is confident Deontay Wilder will return to the ring this year.

Wilder has not fought since he was beaten by Tyson Fury for a second time in their trilogy fight last October.

Fury knocked the American out in the 11th round at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas to retain his title.

The 'Gypsy King' successfully defended his WBC world heavyweight crown for a second time by knocking Dillian Whyte out in the sixth round at Wembley on Saturday and reiterated he plans to retire after that all-British bout.

Wilder would have an opportunity to regain the WBC strap as the number one contender if Fury quits and Sulaiman expects the 'Bronze Bomber' to fight again in 2022. 

Sulaiman told Sky Sports: "He's [Wilder] taking it easy and weighing up his plans for the future. He had a very busy reign as a champion, two knockout losses to Fury which was difficult, but he's matured and he's doing very well.

"He's having a good time with his wife and enjoying life but I'm sure he'll be back.

"He's one of those fighters that you rarely see in the ring that has the ability to knock somebody out with one punch and he has had many exciting fights. He's a great fighter and great person. I'm sure he will fight this year."

UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is "70 per cent" certain he will face boxing superstar Tyson Fury in a crossover fight next year.

Fury defeated Dillian Whyte via a sixth-round knockout at Wembley on Saturday to retain his WBC heavyweight title and reiterated afterwards he intends to retire from boxing.

However, the 33-year-old, who improved his career record to 32-0-1, has not ruled out competing under a different format – including another shot at WWE later this year.

And Ngannou, who joined Fury in the ring after this victory over compatriot Whyte, is hopeful that a hybrid fight can be agreed with the Englishman.

"We both want this fight, that's clear, and we respect each other," Ngannou told the MMA Hour. "Probably next year it will happen.

"I think it's going to happen, it's just a matter of our promotions, but we will sort this out at some point."

Ngannou added: "Make it a hybrid fight, something that makes it a little uncomfortable for him as a boxer.

"Ideas like MMA gloves or fighting barefoot. I don't know, we still have to figure this out.

"I would say there's a 70 per cent chance [my next opponent] is Tyson Fury. On his side I would say 90 per cent against me."

Ngannou underwent surgery to repair MCL and ACL injuries earlier this year and is not expected to return to action until November at the earliest.

The 35-year-old, who retained his heavyweight crown with victory over Ciryl Gane in January, is so determined to face Fury that he will make it part of any deal signed with UFC. 

"The Tyson Fury fight has to be part of the discussion [with the UFC] – there is no other option," he said.

"The UFC is a great promotion and I want to keep fighting. The Tyson Fury fight is not my last fight, there's still a lot of fights out there.

"There's Jon Jones, there's the Stipe Miocic trilogy, there's big fights I can do in the UFC and I'd really like that to happen."

Dillian Whyte wants a rematch with Tyson Fury despite the WBC heavyweight champion claiming he would retire after retaining his title at Wembley on Saturday.

Fury maintained his unbeaten record by knocking his fellow Brit out in the sixth round in front of a packed crowd of 94,000.

The 33-year-old reiterated that he was ready to quit after putting on another show in London.

Whyte, who did not feel the referee should have stopped the bout, is hungry for another shot at Fury.

He told Sky Sports: "I should have had time to recover and had time to go back to my corner. He [Fury] said he'll retire, but hopefully he doesn't retire because I want another go."

Asked what Fury had said to him after the fight: Whyte revealed: "He said 'you're a good fighter, you're a true warrior and you'll be world champion one day,' I'm not a sore loser. You win some you lose some, this is life, this is boxing.

"I showed up and I fought and I gave as many problems as he gave me. It wasn't as if it was a one-way street.

"I'm not one of those guys that want to go out on a loss or a bad performance. I'm still young enough, I've still got a lot left in me. I still feel strong, I'm still getting better. I fought the best in the world and wasn't outclassed.

"He's a bit taller than me, the range is a bit tricky obviously and with the style, it's hard for guys to prepare for him because he's awkward in the way he fights.

"Had I got beat up for four or five rounds and got completely outclassed it may have been time to call it a day, but I wasn't outclassed and it's not a long, hard road back because I showed the level I am.

"We obviously sold 90-something thousand tickets together, it's not him or me alone. I had the value going in before, I'd had loads of pay-per-view fights before and good fights. I'm still here, I'm still good enough, so one fight and I'm back."

Tyson Fury reiterated he is ready to quit boxing after beating Dillian Whyte at Wembley to retain his WBC heavyweight title.

A sixth-round knockout gave Fury an emphatic victory, but it remains to be seen whether he can be tempted back into the ring.

This was Fury's first fight since beating Deontay Wilder in the final part of their trilogy last October in Nevada.

The undefeated 33-year-old, who improved his career record to 32-0-1, told BT Sport Box Office: "I promised my lovely wife Paris of 14 years that after the Wilder III fight that would be it, and I meant it.

"But I got offered to fight at Wembley, at home, and I believed I owed it to the fans, I owed it to every person in the United Kingdom, to come here and fight at Wembley.

"And now it's all done, I have to be a man of my word and I think this it. This might be the final curtain for the Gypsy King, and what a way to go out."

He was thrilled with the manner of his win, saying: "I think Lennox Lewis would even be proud of that right uppercut tonight."

Fury is confident there will remain quality fighters in the heavyweight ranks if he retires, praising the man he beat on Saturday night in London.

"Dillian Whyte is a warrior and I believe Dillian will be a world champion," Fury said. "But tonight he met a great in the sport. I'm one of the greatest heavyweights of all-time and unfortunately for Dillian Whyte he had to face me tonight.

"He's as strong as a bull and has got the heart of a lion, but you're not messing with a mediocre heavyweight, you're messing with the best man on the planet, and you saw that tonight with what happened."

Tyson Fury successfully defended his WBC heavyweight title with a stunning sixth-round knockout of Dillian Whyte at a packed-out Wembley.

Fury's camp had been adamant the fight would not go beyond the sixth round, and their man made good on those predictions in devastating fashion.

He controlled the opening five rounds with ease, demonstrating a gulf in reach and gulf in class between the fighters.

Whyte had struggled to make any kind of impression and his chance to do so in his maiden world title fight was taken away when Fury landed a crushing right uppercut.

The end result never looked in doubt, and the only question now is whether Fury will make good on his promise to end his career on the back of this victory.

Fury, returning to the United Kingdom after five fights in the United States, left the door open for another bout in the post-fight interview in which he suggested he would likely still walk away. 

Yet he never opened the door for Whyte to take the WBC and lineal belts away from him.

Indeed, the only time Fury ever looked perturbed was during a tempestuous fourth round in which Mark Lyson had to repeatedly get involved, warning Whyte for following in with his head and Fury for hitting on the break.

The two fighters exchanged words and that episode perhaps increased Fury's desire to end things quickly, doing so with one of the finest punches of his professional career and perhaps his last.

Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte are ready to go to "war" at Wembley on Saturday after the WBC world heavyweight champion weighed in less than a stone heavier than his fellow Brit.

Fury tipped the scales at 18 stone 12 pounds on the eve of the blockbuster battle in London.

Challenger Whyte had weighed in at 18st 1lb at Boxpark before the two Englishmen engaged in a friendly face-off.

Fury was lighter than expected as he prepares for the second defence of a title he won by beating Deontay Wilder in 2020.

The 'Gypsy King', who beat Wilder in a thrilling trilogy fight last October, has claimed this will be the last bout of his career.

If it proves to be his swansong, the unbeaten Fury plans to sign off in style in his homeland.

He told BT Sport: "I'm so happy to be back here, fighting at Wembley Stadium, and you all [(fans] made it happen.

"Big shout out to Dillian Whyte and his team, proper professional men. We're going to put on a show, it's going to be a war - don't worry about that."

Whyte says he has no concerns about Fury being heavier than him.

Asked about the significance of his weight, he replied: "Nothing, some fights are different. Fighting a bigger guy, a much heavier guy than me.

"We're ready to go to war, trust me. I'm not worried about what he's doing."

Mike Tyson was involved in a physical altercation with a fellow plane passenger on Wednesday.

Footage obtained by TMZ Sports appeared to show the former world heavyweight champion throwing punches at a man sitting behind him.

A spokesperson for the 55-year-old American told ESPN: "Unfortunately, Mr. Tyson had an incident on a flight with an aggressive passenger who began harassing him and threw a water bottle at him while he was in his seat."

The San Francisco Police Department confirmed officers had detained two people at San Francisco International Airport, but both had been released.

A police statement said: "On Wednesday April 20, 2022 at approximately 10:06 PM, officers assigned to the SFPD Airport Bureau were dispatched to a physical altercation onboard an airplane located at the Domestic Terminal at San Francisco International Airport.

"Officers arrived and detained two subjects that were believed to be involved in the incident. One subject was treated at the scene for non-life-threatening injuries. That subject provided minimal details of the incident + refused to cooperate further with the investigation.

"Both subjects were released under 849(b) of the CA Penal Code pending further investigation. We are aware of video that possibly captured the incident, which surfaced following the initial investigation. That video has been forward to the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office."

Former world champion Ricky Hatton will return to the ring for an exhibition fight against Marco Antonio Barrera on July 2 at the age of 43.

Hatton retired 10 years ago after he was beaten by Vyacheslav Senchenko at Manchester Arena.

The Brit, who won welterweight and light-welterweight world titles during an illustrious career, is to step into the ring one more time for eight rounds with 48-year-old Mexican Barrera.

Hatton says the event in his hometown of Manchester will be a one-off.

He posted on social media: "It's not how you fall, it's how you rise... This is why July 2 is going to be a party not to be missed..."

Hatton added: "I am doing this for fans who struggled being locked up with Covid.

"I got a call and was asked if I would come back to do this for the fans who have been locked up for ages during Covid. Covid has been tough for me, for everyone.

"I want to inspire people who have had mental health problems, too. They can look at me and say 'He struggled and now look at where he is’ so they can do it too."

Tyson Fury is set to defend his WBC world heavyweight title against Dillian Whyte on Saturday, and while all logic points to smooth sailing for the champion, there may be more factors at play than meets the eye.

Fury is arguably the top pound-for-pound talent in boxing, and at six-foot-nine with a seven-foot wingspan, he is one of the sport's toughest puzzles to crack.

The 33-year-old sports a record of 31 wins and one extremely controversial draw against Deontay Wilder, which he avenged twice with back-to-back finishes of the heavy-handed American.

In a vacuum, 'The Gypsy King' by unanimous decision seems like the overwhelmingly likely result as his physical gifts and boxing skill should allow him to rack up rounds on the judges' scorecards as he picks apart the slower, smaller Whyte from the outside.

Whyte, at six-foot-four, is the shortest opponent Fury has faced since Sefer Seferi in June 2018.

But fights are not fought in a vacuum, and there are some familiar storylines clouding over the head of the reigning champion that could mean the Fury we see on Saturday may not be the same animal that dominated Wilder.

Fury's last dance

First and foremost, Fury is adamant that this will be his last fight, and he will retire in the ring this weekend – win, lose or draw.

Fighter retirements must always be taken with a grain of salt, given the fact that it has now become a common tactic among top attractions in order to drum up massive interest in their eventual return. 

However, Fury's feels different. This week he has been outspoken with the media about his desire to retire after his last fight with Wilder, but the prospect of returning home and fighting in front of 94,000 at Wembley convinced him to go around one more time.

"It's been a long old ride, it’s quite emotional to be honest," he said.

"All this, the ride of starting as a little kid and wanting to be heavyweight champion, and then to finally be hanging up the gloves. 

"And I know nobody believes me, because they all think I'm after money or whatever else – there's only a certain amount of people who know that money doesn't mean anything to me."

Simply put, Fury is only fighting for the honour of retiring undefeated, and the biggest fights of his career – taking the world championship off Wladimir Klitschko, and coming to America to take on Wilder – are behind him.

Fury will still have his skills, his size and his experience when he steps into the ring against Whyte, but the history of combat sports is littered with examples of fighters who have fought with one foot out the door, and that desire to continue to be great, and dominant, is something that can fade.

'Marvelous' Marvin Hagler once said "it's tough to get out of bed to do roadwork at 5am when you've been sleeping in silk pyjamas", and there is no heavyweight alive with silkier pyjamas than Fury right now.

Whyte, on the other hand, is heading into the fight of his life, and his last real opportunity to propel himself into the realm of boxing royalty.

At 34, with two losses on his record, the only way someone at Whyte's level can leap into the next stratosphere as a prize-fighting main attraction is to win a marquee fight against someone currently wearing the crown. 

Add in the fact that he is an Englishman, raised in Brixton, living out the dream of competing at Wembley in the biggest fight of his career, and from a motivational standpoint, it appears the advantage is clearly in Whyte's corner.

Fury the boxer, or Fury the entertainer?

Much has been made of Fury's change in trainers late in 2019, where he began training under the tutelage of SugarHill Steward.

The stylistic changes have been apparent, and in Fury's own words: "I punch a lot harder, I use a more aggressive style, and I'm looking to get people out of there rather than out-box them."

He has only fought twice with Steward in his corner, and both times were against Wilder – a boxer solely focused on landing a knockout, with no interest in stacking up rounds with patient boxing.

Whyte approaches things far differently. He does not head-hunt – a trait that earned him the nickname 'The Body Snatcher' – and he is more than happy to win by decision.

Given Fury's incredible size and movement skills, a game-plan centred around attacking the body – which moves around far less than the head – is the most sustainable way to tally scoring punches.

Whyte has never been knocked out in 52 combined professional fights across boxing, kickboxing and mixed martial arts, so if Fury is in there looking to end his career on a high with one big shot, Whyte can steal three or four early rounds and turn it into a tight decision.

Great Whyte hope

Not to get lost in Fury's skill superiority is the fact that Whyte is, obviously, very talented in his own right.

His first loss came against Anthony Joshua back in 2015, and it was the first time Whyte had been faced with an undefeated professional opponent with more than five fights.

Needless to say, he was not ready, but was still able to take multiple rounds off the Olympic gold medallist before his eventual demise in round seven.

Since then, Whyte has successfully dealt with fellow world title contenders Dereck Chisora (twice), Lucas Browne (by knockout) and Joseph Parker, and after being derailed by Alexander Povetkin in August 2020, he responded by knocking him out in the rematch eight months later.

That knockout earned Whyte this shot at Fury, and in his long, winding road to his chance at the taking the throne, he has proven his ability to respond to adversity, win close fights and do damage to elite heavyweights.

If Fury is truly done, Whyte could be the man tasked with carrying the torch for British heavyweight boxing going forward, and a win could set up another English mega-fight – this time with Joshua.

Tyson Fury believes his WBC title clash with Dillian Whyte will be much closer than expected, suggesting the bookmakers' odds in his favour have made him "laugh a bit".

The two Britons are set for a blockbuster heavyweight showdown at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, with Whyte earning a shot at the undefeated Fury after knocking out Alexander Povetkin.

Mandatory challenger Whyte was absent for the pre-fight news conference last month but appeared four days before the bout alongside Fury, who heaped praise on his opponent.

"We're going to treat you all to a hell of a barnstormer," Fury said on Wednesday.

"He's a good fighter. A good, strong, solid man. He has good punch with good power – he's knocked out a lot of men.

"He's definitely a man who needs a lot of respect and that's what I've given him by my training camp. I've trained as hard for Dillian as I have for [Deontay] Wilder, [Wladimir] Klitschko or anybody.

"I see the odds and laugh a bit because they're coming from people who don't know anything about boxing. This is heavyweight boxing. Anyone can win with one punch. 

"If I'm not on my A-Game, this guy will knock my head right off my shoulders."

Meanwhile, Whyte refused to explain his lack of attendance at the previous news conference, though he commented "there's two sides to every story" after Fury previously suggested his absence showed he was already "waving the white flag".

Whyte added: "You lot hear one side because they say a lot of things. Because I don't say anything, they say you're scared or hiding."

The commotion of the build-up aside, Whyte expressed his excitement for his shot at the world title in his home city of London.

"It means everything to fight in my own country, and for the world title. Wembley is not too far from where I'm from," he said.

"I'm ready to rock and roll."

Amir Khan claimed to have been robbed at gunpoint in Leyton, east London on Monday.

The 35-year-old former unified light-welterweight world champion, who won a silver medal at the 2004 Olympics, detailed the incident in a tweet.

Khan said he was with his wife Faryal Makhdoom when they were approached by two men who demanded his watch. He noted that both he and his wife were unharmed.

"Just had my watch taken off me at gunpoint in east London, Leyton," Khan's tweet read.

"I crossed the road with Faryal, luckily she was [a] few steps behind me. [Two] men ran to me, he asked for my watch whilst having a gun pointed in my face. The main thing is we're both safe."

Khan returned to boxing after a long hiatus in February for a clash against rival Kell Brook, losing via sixth-round knockout in Manchester.

Tyson Fury paid tribute to "fantastic opponent" Dillian Whyte ahead of the pair's record-breaking Wembley Stadium bout next weekend.

The undefeated WBC champion faces his British rival and mandatory challenger at the national stadium on April 23, in what he says will be the final fight of his 31–0–1 career.

Despite having previously compared their bout as "a Ferrari racing a Vauxhall Corsa" in March, Fury was complimentary of Whyte's prowess and 28–2 record ahead of their match.

"Whyte is a fantastic opponent," he told a pre-fight news conference. "He is the guy who has been mandatory for however long, the guy everyone has been avoiding.

"Nobody wanted to fight Dillian Whyte for whatever reason. He’s a vicious puncher, great puncher to the body, very compact, solid.

"He has a fantastic record of only two losses. The fight sold out in just a few hours, so it's a fight people are excited about, and I can't wait to put on a great show."

With 94,000 tickets reportedly sold for the sell-out event, Fury and Whyte's clash is set take the record for the most-attended boxing bout on British soil in history.

Indeed, it will come close to the all-time stadium record too, likely falling only short of Adele's 2017 concert residency, and Fury is happy to mix music metaphors into his showmanship.

"I am ready to rock ’n’ roll, man," he added. "It will be a performance for the ages — 94,000 people, the biggest sporting crowd they have ever had at Wembley.

"It's going to be an absolutely fantastic event, and I'm very much looking forward to it and to putting on a great show."