By Jack Queen and Luc Cohen NEW YORK Donald Trump and his onetime lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen

Errol Spence Jr knew this time would be different. For the best part of five years, fans had debated what a fight between the two best welterweights of their generation would look like. Promoters had spoken in public and in private about whether fans would get a look at that fight at all. On more than one occasion, the contest seemed to be within grasp before drifting out of reach. But when Terence Crawford texted him, Spence Jr knew this time would be different. “I think it really took us just getting on the phone, and talking to each other,” Spence told The Independent over Zoom, a week out from Saturday’s fight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. “It took us relaying different messages to each other about the negotiations, and basically me just giving him stuff that he wanted to make the fight happen. I didn’t really want much. The big obstacles were the [purse] split and the ring walk.” Such obstacles could not have been overcome without Spence and his fellow American sharing a mutual respect, both fighters told The Independent, with Crawford saying on a call with other reporters: “You’ve got a lot of people that put on a little circus act and start going about things the wrong way – being disrespectful, taking it to another level that it doesn’t need to be taken to. Sometimes, you can’t come back from that.” There was no such problem when Crawford, 35, and Spence, 33, picked up the phone, initially bypassing promoters, agents and handlers to try to hash out a deal for a historic fight – one between two unbeaten title holders, to crown an undisputed welterweight champion. “There’s definitely a respect between us, I respect him a lot,” Spence acknowledged, while Crawford said: “It was never nothing [antagonistic], it was all business and respect [on the phone]. “I hit him up on 1 January,” Crawford added. “I sent him a text, just telling him that we need to actually fight, to make history. He was in agreement about us fighting. And at that particular time, I reached out to [promoter] Al Haymon and started back up the conversation. Errol got back on a phone call and started talking about the structure of the fight, the deal. That’s how the fight was made.” “The conversations were just us talking about what was going on with the negotiations, and seeing if we could get to the middle of it – the meat of it,” Spence explained. “Basically there was some stuff that he wanted, which me and my team didn’t agree to [at first].” Eventually, however, agreements were reached. It has been a year of mixed results in terms of talks over marquee fights. Tyson Fury’s prospective clash with Oleksandr Usyk collapsed, despite the latter agreeing to a 70-30 purse split in the Briton’s favour. The Ukrainian made that concession in spite of holding three of the four major heavyweight belts, compared to Fury’s one, and holding an unbeaten record like his potential opponent. A long-awaited bout between Fury and compatriot Anthony Joshua also crashed and burned before it got off the ground, and not for the first time. However, a highly-anticipated showdown between Gervonta “Tank” Davis and Ryan Garcia did materialise, as did huge title fights between Vasiliy Lomachenko and Devin Haney and Josh Taylor and Teofimo Lopez. So, should more fighters take the approach that Spence and Crawford did? “If they’re mature enough, they definitely need to get on the phone with each other and talk,” Spence said. “But I don’t know if they’re as level-headed as me and Terence are, talking and having disagreements but trying to make the fight happen. You’ve got to have a level head to talk to another fighter and just come up with the same scenario. [It was me] talking to my people, and then at some points we had my team and his team, himself and myself. We were always on a call with each other, trying to figure out how to make the fight happen.” Crawford then told The Independent: “If you have two grown men that are willing to set aside their pride and put the hype to the side and come together and both want the same thing, then yes,” before telling another reporter: “I can’t speak on other people’s situations, because I’m not the one trying to make the fight happen with them, but boxers are the ones in charge. “Once a fighter realises that, the advisers, promoters and managers go to work. They’ve got to give the fighter what he wants. You’ve had two cases recently: ‘Tank’ and Garcia wanted to fight each other, and they made sure that deal got done, just like you have Terence Crawford and Errol Spence wanting to fight each other. We both went to our people and got the fight done, so it all comes down to the fighters at the end of the day. “Yeah, our handlers want to look out for our best interests and make sure we make the best business decision at the right time, but it’s up to us as fighters to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’. There’s a lot of fighters that can say, ‘No, I don’t wanna fight this guy; I want him, give me him,’ and if the opposing fighter is saying the same thing, there’s nothing anyone can do but to make the fight happen.” And now, one of the most-anticipated fights of a generation will happen, when Spence carries the WBC, WBA and IBF welterweight titles into the T-Mobile Arena, while Crawford brings the WBO belt. “I definitely think it’s something that would’ve been hanging over our heads for our whole careers, if we didn’t make this fight happen,” Spence admitted. “It’d have been tied to us all the time. ‘Man, Spence, I wish he would’ve fought Terence.’ Or, ‘Man, I wish Terence would’ve fought Spence.’ It would’ve been that super-fight that didn’t happen. “I feel like it’s definitely gonna be on another level. This is a super-fight, people have it as a 50-50 fight. [It will crown] the undisputed welterweight champion, we’re both undefeated. The accolades that he has, the accolades that I have...” Meanwhile, Crawford said: “It means a lot, given the history that’s on the line, but at the same time there are a lot of other fights in the history of boxing that didn’t happen. So, if the fight with Errol didn’t happen, I wouldn’t be the first and I wouldn’t be the last to have people talking about them like that. It’d just be another fight on the list.” Both boxers are grounded as the fight approaches, even while acknowledging that it could define both men’s careers. Spence told The Independent: “Just because it’s a big fight, that doesn’t mean it isn’t just another day in the ring for me. I’ve been treating it as that, as far as my emotions and how I feel, but I’ve definitely been training hard and focused a lot more on my craft, my abilities, and my training. But when I wake up on the day of the fight, it’s gonna be another day in the office. [My first thought] will probably be what I’m gonna eat!” “This fight week feels the same,” Crawford said. “It definitely feels bigger, but at the same time, in my mind it’s no different. I’m already pound-for-pound No 1, I feel. In my eyes, a win over Errol Spence Jr would just put me as undisputed, pound-for-pound No 1 in everybody’s eyes. There would be no debate.” On Saturday, a maximum of 12 rounds will end five years of debate. And all thanks to one text. TNT Sports Box Office will show Errol Spence Jr vs Terence Crawford exclusively live on Saturday 29 July. Learn more at https://www.tntsports.co.uk/boxoffice Read More Spence vs Crawford live stream: How to watch fight online and on TV this weekend The factor that could decide Spence vs Crawford super-fight Terence Crawford wins coin toss with Errol Spence Jr to make key fight-night decision Exclusive look at Terence Crawford’s ring gear ahead of clash with Errol Spence Jr The meaning behind Terence Crawford’s ring gear in Errol Spence Jr clash Terence Crawford wins coin toss with Errol Spence to make key fight-night decision

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Donald Trump sued E Jean Carroll for defamation on Tuesday after a jury held him liable for sexually abusing her. The former president filed a counterclaim in Manhattan federal court, accusing the author of tarnishing his reputation publicly. He has sought retraction as well as unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. According to the court filing, Mr Trump “has been the subject of significant harm to his reputation, which, in turn, has yielded an inordinate amount of damages sustained as a result”. Last month, a jury of six men and three women found that the former president was liable for sexual abuse, and not liable for rape, before awarding Ms Carroll $5m in damages. He also launched a fresh defamatory attack on Ms Carroll last month just hours after her lawyers formally asked to amend her remaining defamation lawsuit against the ex-president to include his “smears” at a CNN town hall. “Trump’s defamatory statements post-verdict show the depth of his malice toward Carroll since it is hard to imagine defamatory conduct that could possibly be more motivated by hatred, ill will, or spite,” the proposed amended complaint said. “This conduct supports a very substantial punitive damages award in Carroll’s favour both to punish Trump, to deter him from engaging in further defamation, and to deter others from doing the same,” the complaint said. After his statements about her on CNN, Ms Carroll’s lawyers had asked a Manhattan federal court judge for permission to amend the first defamation lawsuit that she filed against Ms Trump in 2019. He later wrote on Truth Social: “I don’t know E Jean Carroll, I never met her or touched her (except on a celebrity line with her African American husband who she disgustingly called the ‘Ape,’),” he wrote. Mr Trump has previously also accused Ms Carroll of calling her husband “ape”, without any evidence. “I wouldn’t want to know or touch her, I never abused her or raped her or took her to a dressing room 25 years ago in a crowded department store where the doors are LOCKED, she has no idea when, or did anything else to her, except deny her Fake, Made Up Story, that she wrote in a book. IT NEVER HAPPENED, IS A TOTAL SCAM, UNFAIR TRIAL!” he added. Meanwhile, Mr Trump’s lawyers said in the court filing on Tuesday: “The interview was on television, social media and multiple internet websites, with the intention of broadcasting and circulating these defamatory statements among a significant portion of the public.” The former president’s court filing on Tuesday is a counterclaim in a separate 2019 defamation lawsuit Ms Carroll filed against him that is set to go to trial in January, it was reported. While Ms Carroll won the first trial, the former president has interpreted the verdict as a victory, of sorts, because of the finding on rape. Additional reporting from agencies Read More Writer's lawyers say Trump is wrong about $5 million sex abuse-defamation jury award Trump's penchant for talking could pose problems as Mar-a-Lago criminal case moves ahead Trump is funneling 10% of 2024 campaign donations to cover his legal bills Rape accuser files new lawsuit as Trump seethes over 2024 flop – live Where do Donald Trump’s family stand on him running in 2024? Trump revealed to have tweeted classified image from spy satellite

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Tens of thousands of women in Iceland are due to take part in the country’s first day-long strike in almost 50 years to raise awareness of gender-based violence and the gender pay gap. Katrin Jakobsdottir, Iceland’s prime minister, will participate in the protest which will involve women and non-binary people stopping paid and unpaid labour on Tuesday. Teachers, nurses and fishing industry workers have said they will take part in the women’s strike which is the first day-long protest since 1975 when women also downed tools and stopped work. The original protest, dubbed “Women’s Day Off” or “Kvennafrí” in Icelandic language, brought the nation to a standstill due to women refusing to work, do childcare, or cook. Some 90 per cent of Icelandic women are estimated to have stopped work for the day - with schools shut down and flights cancelled due to a dearth of staff. While children were brought to work by their fathers due to a lack of childcare. The protest triggered far-reaching change in the country - with Iceland subsequently electing the first woman to be an elected president in the world and rolling out its first Gender Equality Act. BSRB, the country’s biggest federation of public worker unions, as well as 31 associations, are taking part in the strike, according to local publication Mbl.is. “First and foremost, I am showing solidarity with Icelandic women with this,” the country’s PM told the news outlet. The protest’s organisers want the strike to raise awareness of sexual violence and domestic abuse as well as the undervaluing of sectors where women are over-represented. Campaigners hope more people will take part in Tuesday’s protest than those who took part in the 1975 strike. The World Economic Forum recently declared Iceland as the world’s most gender-equal nation for the 14th year in a row. Read More ‘18 more months, baby. Then I’m in Iceland’: The group helping trans people to leave the US

Colton Cowser hit a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning, and the AL East-leading Baltimore Orioles beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 in the opener of a four-game series between the American League’s top teams

The Texas Rangers and Oakland Athletics are in the midst of a four-game AL West series.The Rangers won Game 1, shutting out the Athletics by a final score of 4-0. Now, Martin Perez will take the mound against Ken Waldichuk in a battle of lefties.Can the Rangers stay hot? They currently lead ...

AKIACHAK, Alaska (AP) — There’s nothing more universal than kids enjoying themselves at a summer carnival, whether it’s in the middle of a heat wave in New York City or in much cooler weather on the Alaska tundra.