Analysis, features, news plus more – on European football and sports galore!
Sam Noakes didn’t extend his knockout streak but bossed proceedings from start-to-finish against esteemed former European lightweight champion Yvan Mendy in their York Hall main event to unify British, Commonwealth and European titles at 135lbs – the first to do so since Dave Charnley in 1961 – as manager Francis Warren hinted at big plans for the 26-year-old afterwards.
Continue reading “Noakes notches career-best win, outboxes Mendy to become new European champion”
Manchester City were tired, leggy and emotionally drained after penalty heartbreak in Madrid three days earlier as their Champions League defence ended, but survived a series of promising goalscoring chances before Bernardo Silva’s 84th-minute winner secured a hard-fought win over Chelsea, punching their ticket back into the FA Cup final for a third time in the last six seasons. Continue reading “Manchester City 1-0 Chelsea: Silva’s late strike sends Citizens back to FA Cup final”
World number one Iga Swiatek remains on course for a third consecutive Stuttgart title, after enduring more peaks and troughs than usual before finding her best level in the clutch moments late to oust 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu during their competitive quarter-final matchup. Continue reading “WTA Stuttgart: Swiatek holds her nerve vs. Raducanu, as Rybakina rematch beckons”
LA Clippers’ All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard missed the last eight games of the regular season through inflammation to his surgically repaired right knee and now with the postseason getting underway this weekend, faces a race against time to heal before helping lead his inconsistent Clippers teammates against a familiar foe in MVP candidate Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks in R1. Continue reading “Kawhi Leonard’s inflamed knee injury leaves him doubtful for Mavericks series”
Having previously stated an openness to face English lightweight Paddy Pimblett, the asking price has gone up for Renato Moicano after his second-round recovery stoppage win over Jalin Turner saw the bullish Brazilian rise into the top-10 at 155lbs on a weekend where there was plenty of change across many divisions. With two victories in two months, he doesn’t want to stop there. Continue reading “Activity now key for Moicano as recovery win sees him ranked #10 at lightweight”
After whispers on social media for weeks, Daniel Dubois vs. Filip Hrgovic was officially announced as one of the duels set for June 1 in the Queensberry vs. Matchroom 5v5 bill. Now though, there’s an additional twist which dangles for the prospective winner – a world title and even bigger opportunity against two-time unified world champion Anthony Joshua at Wembley later this year. Continue reading “Exclusive: Hrgovic-Dubois expected for soon-to-be-vacant IBF world title, Joshua to face winner in September”
It’s a much-anticipated matchup more than five years in the making, and in six weeks’ time, we’ll finally crown an undisputed king at 175lbs when unified champion Artur Beterbiev boxes long-reigning WBA titlist Dmitry Bivol in a battle of two unbeaten Russians. Even as time has passed, the general public appear split on who will prevail and how this fight will be won and lost.
Continue reading “Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol: At long last, light-heavyweight will have one undisputed king”
Alex Pereira made the first defence of his light-heavyweight title, avenging teammate and close friend Glover Teixeira’s punishing five-round defeat vs. former titlist Jamahal Hill in the UFC 300 headliner to cap an unforgettable night’s action from Las Vegas after contrasting championship victories for strawweight queen Zhang Weili and new BMF titleholder Max Holloway.
Continue reading “UFC 300: Pereira flattens Hill to retain 205lb title as Weili and Holloway win big”
Plymouth stunned Leicester in Friday’s only fixture, before Blackburn snatched an away win at Leeds’ expense during Saturday’s early kick-off as two sides battling relegation secured slender victories over championship contenders to kickstart another wild week of Championship action – Ipswich went top despite being held at home to Middlesbrough as the Premier League push continues. Continue reading “16 hours apart, Bundu and Szmodics rip script as Championship title race hots up”
Although successful with ongoing tweaks, we’ve seen how divisive the introduction of VAR has been for football recently. Tennis needs something similar, all year-round, as the teething problems clear on clay – the biggest being incorrect line calls – continue to surface but the sport’s decision-makers would be wise to implement more transparent accountability for umpires too. Continue reading “Whether that be VAR or an officiating shakeup, tennis calling for a change soon”
Former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway competes at lightweight for the second time in his career this weekend, fighting #1 contender Justin Gaethje for the latter’s BMF title at UFC 300. Given the risk-reward and ever-changing landscape at 145lbs, Holloway could’ve chosen another option – but welcoming this risk is emblematic of the man many have loved through it all, win or lose. Continue reading “Max Holloway aware of the risks in Justin Gaethje clash, but that typifies who he is”
A niggling back injury has clearly played its role, but Stefanos Tsitsipas’ rough form across all surfaces over the past six months has seen many critics question what he’s doing, if anything, to keep pace with his younger counterparts at a juncture in the sport where the new generation – led by Carlos Alcaraz and new first-time Major champion Jannik Sinner – are quickly breaking new ground. Continue reading “Keen to steady his form, Tsitsipas knows Alcaraz and Sinner forcing him to evolve”
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