Anthony – Hoang Viet

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Jan 14 2025

Queen kept in dark over palace traitor Anthony Blunt, declassified documents reveal | UK News

The Queen was left in the dark for almost a decade over the full scale of the treachery of one of her most senior courtiers, according to newly-released files.

In 1964, Sir Anthony Blunt, the surveyor of the Queen’s pictures and distinguished art historian, finally confessed he had been a Soviet agent since the 1930s.

When he was a young don at Cambridge he was recruited into one of the most notorious spy rings of the 20th century.

As a senior MI5 officer during the Second World War, he passed vast quantities of secret intelligence to his KGB handlers.

Read more:
The spies that betrayed Britain – the Cambridge Ring

However, he was allowed to keep his position at the heart of the British establishment amid fears of a major scandal if the truth became public.

When the Queen was finally told the full story in the 1970s, she was characteristically unflappable – taking it “all very calmly and without surprise” – according to declassified MI5 files released to the National Archives in Kew, west London.

In the same tranche of declassified files, it has been revealed that film star Dirk Bogarde was warned by MI5 that he could be the target of a gay “entrapment” attempt by the KGB.

Bogarde, who died in 1999, never came out publicly as gay, although he maintained a long-term relationship with his manager, Anthony Forwood.

In 1971 he was interviewed in the south of France by MI5 officer FM Merifield.

When told about the report of his homosexuality, the actor responded with a mixture of anger and alarm.

“Bogarde said the report was absurd and he did not know how the KGB could have received this information. He was a man of 50 and able to behave in a responsible fashion,” Mr Merifield reported.

“Bogarde had no idea as to how the report may have reached the KGB and was clearly disturbed by it.”

Mr Merifield added: “Bogarde is a retiring, serious man who is probably dominated in his private life by Forwood.

“Although evidence about his homosexuality seems too strong to discount, there was no reason to doubt his evidence on other matters.”

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Oct 27 2024

Tyson Fury on how he’ll fight Oleksandr Usyk in rematch – and feeling ‘down’ over Anthony Joshua’s defeat | UK News

Tyson Fury insists he felt no disappointment at all when he lost the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world to Oleksandr Usyk in May.

But he was sad as he watched Anthony Joshua being crushed by Daniel Dubois last month.

“I feel sorry for him at the minute, being cleaned out in the last fight in five rounds, so he’ll have to do that again – or not – and then decide his future. I’ve said after every [Anthony Joshua] loss I’ve felt deflated.

“When an adversary loses, and it’s not to you, you do feel down and depressed about it. I felt sad for him. It was sad to see a worthy opponent lose his crown.”

But Fury versus Joshua is a super fight that British boxing fans would like to see, before it’s too late, and Fury says he’s up for it.

“I’d still fight him whether he’s got five losses, 10 losses or 20. It’s not important because, at this stage of our careers, it’s about having good fights. I think it would still be an interesting fight for the paying pundit.”

Fury says that when he faces Usyk for the second time on 21 December in Riyadh for three of the four belts, he is changing nothing except the result.

‘B******s that comes with boxing’

“I do exactly the same thing, but don’t get a standing count in round nine and I’ve won the fight comfortably. Yeah, I’m gonna change not getting a knockdown.”

Fury jokes that it feels horrible to be the challenger and not the champion. “It’s really not important to me honestly. All the glitz and glamour… it’s all the b******s that comes with boxing. I’m here to do a job, get a pay cheque and go home.”

For this second fight, the element of surprise on either side has gone. They both have a fairly good idea of what the other can do. But was he impressed with how hard Usyk came back at him in that first meeting?

‘He’s gonna have to pay’

“I wasn’t impressed because he’s a boxer and that’s what he’s paid to do. He did his job and got a very small razor edge win, but as I’ve always said… winning by an inch or a mile is still winning.”

“He actually put the rematch back, I was really looking forward to having a good build-up to Halloween, bonfire night, Christmas and New Year. But he’s f***** all that up for me, so now I’ll only get three days of Christmas. He’s gonna have to pay for that!”

Fury is already thinking of what happens next and it’s not a fight with Dubois, the new IBF champion, or Joshua. Instead he’d prefer another head-to-head with the Ukrainian.

Despite claiming he’s not bothered by history, the titles, or anything much outside the actual boxing, another fight with Usyk would have significance. It would give him a unique place in the history of the sport.

“I’d rather have a trilogy with Usyk, and then it would be 1-1, and I’d be the only heavyweight in history to have three trilogies. That would be quite impressive.”

The emergence of Saudi Arabia as a boxing world capital in the last few years has changed the landscape of the sport. The money on offer far exceeds what they’d normally expect to get in the UK.

Money is a ‘turn-on’

Fury doesn’t need the money and barely spends it. But he admits it gives him a thrill. “It’s just the excitement of earning it, it’s a turn-on. But when you’ve got it, it’s like ‘aaahhhh’… on to the next one now.

“I didn’t need an Usyk fight to go and buy what I want. I could do that at any given moment in the last 10 years. I’ve not bought one thing not even a pair of trainers, nothing. They were free… I did recently buy myself some new socks, only because they were on offer!”

Read more from Sky News:
Labour MP says he was involved in ‘incident’
Starmer denies waging ‘war against middle Britain’

So Fury doesn’t need the money, the kudos of the victory, the hoopla around the sport. He would have us believe that none of it matters.

So why at 36, does he still do it?

“I love it. I love the thrill of the fight. I love the boxing, I like the training, it keeps me fit and out of trouble and on a straight and narrow path.”

Usyk vs Fury 2 is on Sky Sports Box Office on December 21.

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Sep 21 2024

Anthony Joshua has chance at greatness, but must defeat ‘incredibly dangerous’ Dubois to become three-time world champion | UK News

Back fighting at Wembley for the first time since 2020, Anthony Joshua has the chance tonight to put himself into a small, elite group of heavyweights.

To be a three-time heavyweight champion of the world is a rare thing – only five men have done it.

Publicly Joshua said it is not his priority: “It would be phenomenal, but greatness is in character as well.

“If you’re a good person, you’re a great person, you don’t need a title.”

But his promoter Eddie Hearn said he understands what the win would mean.

“I think this is the first time I’ve heard him allude a little bit to the legacy part because for him it’s all about the performance,” he told Sky News.

“But he knows what’s on the line on Saturday. It’s a very small group – three-times heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, Lennox Lewis – there aren’t many.

“I think he’d realise the magnitude of what this would mean and how it would position him for a shot at the Fury vs Usyk 2 winner.”

There’s no doubt Joshua wants the win desperately, his fifth in a row since a double loss to Oleksandr Usyk. Lose tonight and he’s back down the pecking order with another rebuild ahead of him at the age of 36.

He said it’s a “must-win fight – I’m going to do my best – what will be will be”.

“I want to win (this) a lot – a lot – I work hard, I work really hard, I kept my head down and what will be will be now and I’ll leave it to the big man upstairs,” Joshua said.

But Hearn describes a possible defeat as a catastrophe – and says it is a “what if” question that has been asked a lot.

“Since the Andy Ruiz loss people have asked that question,” he tells Sky News, “but [Joshua’s] enjoying boxing more than ever in my opinion”.

“He looks better than ever, he’s more of a complete fighter than ever, but of course when you lose it’s catastrophic.

“The difference here between winning and losing is a very wide margin – if you win, you issue yourself as almost king of the sport.

“If you lose, you’ve lost to Daniel Dubois, the younger fighter, it’s a bigger climb back up to the top. We must win on Saturday night.”

Daniel Dubois, his younger opponent by nine years, stands in the way and he has it all to prove.

The holder of the IBF belt, he was awarded that world title in June as a result of winning an eliminator bout against Filip Hrgovic, and because Usyk wasn’t in a position to defend it due to his upcoming rematch with Tyson Fury.

He’s young, he’s hungry, he’s on a roll.

“It’s all meant to be. I’m in the right place at the right time, I just need to stay in my bubble,” he said.

“I need to legitimise it, win and show the world that I’m the man.”

Hearn recognises the danger of Dubois, who famously rocked AJ during a sparring session when he was younger.

“He’s incredibly dangerous,” he said. “People keep asking me if [Dubois will] be able to control his emotions and the madness of 96,000, and I think the answer is no and that makes him more dangerous.

“Because whatever the game plan is, I think he is going to come out like a train, come out wild and that makes him more dangerous – but he can also walk on to something big from Anthony Joshua early in the fight.

“I cannot imagine a world where this fight goes 12 rounds. These are two very fast very big punching heavyweights they’re dangerous every second of this fight.”

Frank Warren, the veteran promoter of Dubois, thinks it’s time for his man to show what he’s made of and it could be a “changing of the guard” in the heavyweight scene.

Read more:
What’s next for Tyson Fury?
Usyk ‘gifts’ IBF title away

“I’ve got a lot of faith in him, he’s on a really good roll at the moment but so is AJ. I feel this could be his moment – he’s a big, big puncher,” Warren said.

“It’s part of the business, this what he has to do – step up and show what he’s all about. It comes with the territory: you’ve either got it or you ain’t got it.

“When he gets in that ring on Saturday, you’ve got blinkers on. Forget about the crowd, forget about everybody and look what’s in front of you.”

For Hearn, the occasion – a packed Wembley, a scenario Joshua has been comfortable with many times – could be the deciding factor. He has no doubts about the way his fighter will handle it.

“The way he carries himself, he’s been here so many times before,” he said.

“When you walk out on Saturday in front of 96,000 to have a fight with another 6ft 5 gentleman in front of the world, you better hold yourself together.

“I know AJ won’t have a problem holding himself together but it’s still a dangerous, dangerous task.”

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Jan 20 2024

Anthony Joshua says a fight with Tyson Fury is ‘part of God’s plan in my life’ | UK News

Anthony Joshua has said a match with Tyson Fury “is part of God’s plan in my life”.

The 34-year-old said he believes he is “at the top” of heavyweight boxing.

“I never left,” Joshua told Sky News. “I’ll always be, from the minute I lace up these gloves ’till now.

“I’ve managed to keep my name at the top of the amateur scene and the professional scene. It’s just the truth. Just how it is. And I think it’ll be that way until I don’t want to fight anymore.”

The two-time world champion said “God has his plans” when asked if he thought he would ever fight Tyson Fury. “And I’m sure Tyson Fury is part of God’s plan in my life.”

Joshua said he hoped he would be able to fight again in the UK soon. “Maybe the fight after this one,” he said.

“We’ll probably make a return to the UK because especially at Riyadh, the season will be done. So yeah, we’ll have a good window where we can get some fights in in the UK, possibly.”

Read more from Sky News:
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Warning of ‘very real risk’ of measles spreading

Asked if belts still matter, he said: “You will never know what it’s like and what it feels like to be a champion until you become one.

“And for me, belts will always matter because it’s something that you set your goals out to achieve as a little kid.

“And if you’re like a tennis fan, you win a trophy, if you’re a footballer you win a trophy, boxing you win a title, it’s quite similar across all sports it’s like, what’s the prize at the end?

“And I think boxing will always, even though we want to see the fights, the title in boxing will always be prestige.”

Joshua will fight former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia on 8 March.

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Dec 5 2023

Anthony Littler: Cold case detectives say baseball bat attack ‘may hold key’ to unsolved 1984 murder | UK News

Cold case detectives believe a baseball bat attack near to the site of an unsolved murder may hold the answer to the 1984 crime.

Anthony Littler, 45, was found with “catastrophic” head injuries near East Finchley Tube station, in north London, a little after midnight on 1 May 1984.

The “kind and gentle” civil servant, who was single and lived close to the station, was in an alleyway known as The Causeway.

Despite extensive inquiries at the time and further investigations in 1993 and 2013, his murder was never solved.

Metropolitan Police officers, who have carried out a routine re-examination, believe a serious assault in the same area three days before could be linked to the murder.

Detective Chief Inspector Neil John said Mr Littler “came through East Finchley Tube station and made his way home on foot through an alleyway.

“Sadly, within a few minutes of him leaving the station, a 999 call was made to emergency services requesting an ambulance and police.

“Upon arrival, the police found Mr Littler’s lifeless body with catastrophic injuries to his head.”

Two days earlier, a man with “quite serious injuries to his head and face” came into an off-licence near the station, complaining that he had been attacked by two males with baseball bats, Mr John said.

The man, who was “described as 6ft tall, medium build, with short brown hair”, told the shopkeeper he had been assaulted the evening before, on 28 April.

Detectives are also interested in finding the man who made an anonymous call from a phone box to report the attack on Mr Littler to police.

Read more from Sky News:
Seven-hour manhunt ends with arrest
Murdered banker’s family complain about investigation
Man who featured on hit podcast shot dead by police in stand-off
Man charged with murder after 2016 stabbing victim died six years later

Mr Littler’s cousin, Tricia McClure, said: “Anthony was a lovely, kind and gentle man who wouldn’t have hurt anyone. It is heartbreaking to our family that this happened to him.

“After all this time, we hope this new investigation puts those responsible behind bars. It won’t bring Anthony back, but it will give us some closure.”

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Apr 2 2023

Anthony Joshua wins heavyweight fight against Jermaine Franklin | UK News

British boxer Anthony Joshua has won his heavyweight fight against American Jermaine Franklin by unanimous decision at London’s O2 Arena.

The former two-time world champion was fighting without a belt on the line for the first time since 2015.

Joshua, 33, went into the ring having lost three of his previous five contests, which included consecutive losses to Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk.

The judges scored the London bout 118-111, 117-111 and 117-111 in favour of the home favourite after a laboured display.

Joshua regularly landed with his left jab and caught Franklin, 29, on a number of occasions with his powerful right but the American stood firm – and on occasion cheekily poked his tongue out at his far bigger and taller opponent.

There was a bizarre moment in the final 12th round when Joshua pushed his head into Franklin sparking an angry reaction from Lorenzo Adams, the strength and conditioning coach of the US boxer, who pushed the Finchley fighter.

But the matter was quickly settled and Joshua’s hand was lifted to earn him a 25th professional win.

Speaking after his victory, Joshua told the 22,000-strong crowd: “Last time I grabbed the mic, it was a bit chaotic. I’m calm; I appreciate everyone coming out this evening.”

Joshua was referencing the second Usyk clash where he had a post-fight meltdown.

He added: “I should have knocked him out but it is done. On to the next. He is here to prove himself, not roll over. I wish I could have knocked him out.”

Read more:
Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk beats Anthony Joshua in heavyweight rematch
Anthony Joshua: ‘I let myself down’ after Oleksandr Usyk defeat
Anthony Joshua knocks out Kubrat Pulev to retain heavyweight titles

Joshua invited WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury to think about a future fight.

“I would be honoured to fight for the WBC Heavyweight championship of the world. If he’s listening, he knows my promoter; we’ve had dialogue before, so let’s continue this. We ain’t getting any younger,” he said.

Without a knockout to have sealed the deal, questions remain about a fight with Fury.

“Tonight was a step down from Oleksandr Usyk, but there was huge pressure,” said promoter Eddie Hearn, who added that Joshua “ended the fight well”.

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Aug 21 2022

Anthony Joshua: ‘I let myself down’ after Oleksandr Usyk defeat | UK News

Anthony Joshua has said he let himself down during an outburst in the ring following his heavyweight title defeat to Oleksandr Usyk.

The Ukrainian fighter won on a split points decision after the pair went the full 12 rounds in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night, which ended with Joshua throwing two of the title belts over the ropes and storming off.

Writing on Twitter, the 32-year-old Briton acknowledged his emotions “got the better of me”.

“I wish @usykaa continued success in your quest for greatness. You are a class act champ,” he said.

“Yesterday I had to mentally take myself into a dark place to compete for the championship belts!

“I had two fights, one with Usyk and one with my emotions and both got the better of me.

“I’ll be the first to admit, I let my self down.

“I acted out of pure passion and emotion and when not controlled it ain’t great. I love this sport so so much and I’ll be better from this point on. Respect.”

Joshua’s erratic behaviour saw him return to the ring after he had stormed off, grabbing the mic to address the crowd inside the King Abdullah Sports City stadium.

“If you knew my story, you would understand the passion,” he said.

“I ain’t no amateur boxer, from five years old, that was an elite prospect from youth.

“I was going to jail, I got bail and I started training my a*** off, I wanted to be able to fight.

“This guy beat me tonight, maybe I could have done better, but it shows the level of hard work I put in, so please give him a round of applause as our heavyweight champion of the world.”

The impromptu, impassioned speech split the boxing community, with some reacting in bemusement.

‘That was Usyk’s time to celebrate’

Joshua also received criticism for not allowing Usyk, who a few months ago was fighting on the front line of Russia’s invasion of his homeland, to speak first.

Fellow boxer Frazer Clarke told Sky Sports: “That was Usyk’s time to celebrate that victory, and he didn’t get to do it straight away, and I don’t think that was right.

“Anthony is a great person and has done a lot for a lot of people, a lot for me, but I feel like he had a bit of a bad one there, and it was out of character.”

Addressing the speech in the post-match news conference, Joshua said: “When you try and do things from your heart, not everyone’s going to always understand.

“It was just from the heart, I knew I was mad at myself… and I thought ‘I’ve gotta get out of here’.”

The defeat was his second consecutive loss to Usyk.

Read more: Who is Oleksandr Usyk?

Joshua has not offered an apology for his behaviour, but paid tribute to Usyk – and briefly posed with him holding the Ukrainian flag in a stand of solidarity in defiance of Russia’s ongoing assault.

Usyk said he hoped his win, which was free to view on Ukrainian TV, would raise more awareness of the war.

“I want to say that some people in the world are underestimating what is going on in Ukraine,” he said.

“Please open your eyes and see what is happening.”

Zelenskyy warns of ‘vicious’ Russian attack – live updates

Usyk, 35, also teased a potential clash with Tyson Fury after the fight.

Fury seemed keen, saying in a now-deleted Instagram post that he would “relieve the Ukrainian dosser of his belts”.

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