Analysis, features, news plus more – on European football and sports galore!
Keen for attacking reinforcements, Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham want a striker and winger this summer. Bournemouth’s Dominic Solanke, who scored 19 league goals last season, is of interest – but has three years left on his existing contract and won’t be easy to prize away with just two weeks to go before the new campaign begins as they look to replace their Harry Kane void. Continue reading “Report: Tottenham exploring move for Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke”
Preparing for his first world title defence this weekend against a pound-for-pound star in Terence Crawford, WBA light-middleweight champion Israil Madrimov warns the formerly-undisputed welterweight king – you’re entering a new division at championship level. At 36 and inactive, are you ready for this? Continue reading “Madrimov issues warning as Crawford dares to be great in a fourth weight class”
In the 60th and potentially final H2H matchup between two of the sport’s greatest ever players, the tournament’s top seed Novak Djokovic withstood a wobble late to dispatch Rafael Nadal in straight-sets on Philippe Chatrier. However, the Serb’s sudden sloppy play against his longtime rival will give prospective opponents renewed faith they can prevail in a best-of-three format.
Continue reading “Olympics: Djokovic decisive after Nadal surge, wins 60th – perhaps final – meeting”
Claressa Shields made more history this past weekend, scoring three knockdowns en route to a R2 TKO win over Canada’s Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse in becoming a four-weight world champion. While the 29-year-old insisted she’d be open to staying at 175lbs going forward, she’s also open to floating between weight divisions as multiple names – including Natasha Jonas – call her name. Continue reading “How do you like that? Shields stops Lepage-Joanisse in R2, open to all comers”
Belal Muhammad boxed brilliantly, utilised suffocating pressure and recorded a new career-high takedown count to overwhelm Leon Edwards and snatch UFC welterweight gold from the Birmingham resident on an exceedingly late Manchester night to cap a busy PPV card. Interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall and rising lightweight Paddy Pimblett logged first-round finishes prior. Continue reading “UFC 304: Muhammad mauls Edwards to win gold, Aspinall avenges Blaydes blip”
There’s still life in the old boy, as Derek Chisora scored a ninth-round knockdown and edged beyond Joe Joyce in their 10-round headliner from a raucous O2 Arena. Moses Itauma produced another statement showing at heavyweight, after Dennis McCann closed his Ionut Baluta chapter and a new English welterweight champion was crowned elsewhere on a busy undercard. Continue reading “Chisora outlasts Joyce in gruelling ten-round firefight as Garner, McCann win big”
Having become undisputed welterweight world champion this time twelve months ago after dismantling Errol Spence Jr, three-division titlist Terence Crawford has some newfound shine behind him. He looks to make it a fantastic fourth next weekend at Los Angeles’ BMO Stadium against a new titleholder – by no means an easy task – in the form of heavy-handed Uzbek Israil Madrimov. Continue reading “Crawford cranking up legacy before 154lb debut vs. WBA world champ Madrimov”
Former WBO light-middleweight world champion Tim Tszyu expects to make his return down under on September 22, as the 29-year-old targets erasing the sour taste in his mouth after a contentious majority decision defeat by Sebastian Fundora in March. Erickson Lubin was targeted before news of an injury this week, though there’ll assess options for an alternative in two months’ time. Continue reading “Tim Tszyu readies return in IBF world title eliminator on September 22 in Australia”
The world number one regretfully will miss this summer’s Olympic Games after listening to doctors’ orders advising him against travelling for the quadrennial event with tonsillitis, following reports in Italian media suggesting he’d travel later in the week before round one of singles begins on clay this weekend. Continue reading “Paris Olympics: Sinner withdraws with tonsillitis, Rune’s wrist forces him out too”
Kevin de Bruyne’s honesty regarding the ‘incredible money’ on offer in Saudi Arabia has forced the Citizens to prepare contingency plans should their creator-in-chief decide a departure from European football is too lucrative to reject. Crystal Palace playmaker Eberechi Eze, who they were linked to last summer, has again emerged as a serious option but will be rather expensive.
Continue reading “Manchester City weigh up Eze approach again as de Bruyne’s future still unclear”
Sure, it was against someone with only one bout in six years, but Zach Parker displayed brief flashes of the world-ranked contender a fight away from boxing Canelo Álvarez at 168lbs. Instead, a badly broken hand saw the recently-retired John Ryder seize the WBO interim title and a career-high payday in Mexico last May, and now the Derby man prepares to linger between two weight classes. Continue reading “A step in the right direction for Zach Parker, as he floats between two divisions”
Cornwall’s Brad Pauls was deemed merely a plucky challenger first time around six months earlier when the Birmingham bill was announced as Nathan Heaney’s first British middleweight title defence. English champion at the time but having fallen short against Tyler Denny on a big TV spot with Sky Sports a year prior, history would likely repeat itself. Brad refused to let that happen. Continue reading “Brad Pauls became British champion the hard way, and now can reap the rewards”
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