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Birmingham have sacked head coach John Eustace despite a bright start to the season, increasing rumours of former England captain Wayne Rooney taking charge at the club. Eustace led Birmingham to safety last season, while a come-from-behind 3-1 derby win over West Brom on Friday left Blues sixth in the Sky Bet Championship after 11 fixtures heading into the international break. While Birmingham recognised in a statement Eustace had “helped to stabilise and strengthen the club” in his 15 months at the helm, they have decided to part company with the ex-Republic of Ireland assistant. “It is essential that the board of directors and the football management are fully aligned on the importance of implementing a winning mentality and a culture of ambition across the entire football club,” the statement on Birmingham’s official website said. “With this in mind, Birmingham City has parted company with head coach John Eustace. “A new first-team manager will be announced in the coming days who will be responsible for creating an identity and clear ‘no fear’ playing style that all Birmingham City teams will adopt and embrace.” Eustace succeeded Lee Bowyer in July 2022 and helped Birmingham finish nine points above the drop zone in the second tier amid off-field issues surrounding the ownership of the club. Despite just three defeats so far this season, it was reported over the weekend Eustace’s position was under threat as the club’s new American owners sought a big-name appointment. Former Manchester United striker Rooney would seemingly fit the bill after he announced on Sunday he would be leaving DC United following their failure to qualify for the Major League Soccer play-offs. “It’s just the right time,” he said in quotes reported by the Washington Post. “I have really enjoyed my time here. But I just feel it’s the right time to go back to England. What lies ahead, I don’t know.” Read More Ireland wings Mack Hansen and James Lowe on mend ahead of New Zealand showdown Jos Buttler concerned by ‘poor’ outfield ahead of England clash with Bangladesh Football rumours: Wayne Rooney in the running for Birmingham job

The absurdity of the decision to stage the draw for the pool stage of the Rugby World Cup three years out from the tournament will really hit home this week

Bill Belichick is lost without Tom Brady

The AP Top 25 has stagnated as there have been few big upsets this season

For the third time in nine years Michigan has reached the halfway point of the regular season having given up the fewest points in the Football Bowl Subdivision

Detroit desperately hopes to snap its seven-year playoff drought and becomes part of an NHL trend

Louisville’s quick start is ironic considering it hasn’t always started quickly

The French rugby federation says France captain Antoine Dupont has been cleared to resume collective training after a positive check-up following surgery on a facial fracture

Leigh Wood dropped and stopped Josh Warrington at the end of round seven to retain his WBA featherweight title in an unforgettable fight in Sheffield. Late on Saturday night, Wood was losing on points, cut and hurt when, with just seconds left in round seven, he connected with six perfect punches to send Warrington down. There was shock and pandemonium in the arena and close to 10,000 fanatics had no idea whether to laugh or cry. Warrington somehow beat the count, stumbled to his own corner as the bell sounded, put his hands on the top rope and turned round too late to satisfy the referee, Michael Alexander; there was a second of deliberation and then Alexander called it off. It was the right decision at that moment; it was also heartbreak and relief in equal measure for the two boxers. Wood started screaming in victory, Warrington complained briefly, but was quickly placed on his stool; he dropped his head forward in bitter disappointment. “I’m devastated,” he told me a few minutes later. He was still in the ring, looking from corner to corner and trying to understand what had gone wrong. Warrington had easily won rounds three, four, five, six and 2:58 seconds of round seven. All three of the scorecards had him comfortably in front at the point of the stoppage. The final, devastating punches came from nowhere, but Wood has a glorious history of salvaging lost causes. “There is no quit in me,” Wood said from the ring, his right eye cut and swollen and his face a blur of developing bruises. It was a hard fight, make no mistake. Back in 2021 Wood won the WBA featherweight world title with a stoppage in the 12th and last round, and was losing his first defence against Michael Conlan before finding the punches to dump Conlan out of the ring for the full count with just 90-seconds remaining in the final round. In Sheffield, he performed one more salvation act and it was dramatic and shocking and wonderful. The pace of the fight was relentless and from the start of round three, Warrington took control and there were moments when all the rumours and talk about the struggle Wood has making the weight looked true; by the start of round seven, Wood was trailing, but more than that, he looked like a beaten man. At the start of round five, with the entire arena standing in admiration and hope, and the signs of the struggle clear on their faces, the pair touched gloves; it was a small, lost and quickly forgotten moment, but it reveals a lot about these two boxers. Pride was the title, respect was the story. There was no sign of the finish as the seconds ticked closer to the bell to end the seventh, and then the combination started; Warrington went down in shattered instalments and Wood just kept throwing. It was a genuine ‘wow’ moment. Wood connected cleanly with six punches, starting with a short right hook. It was a savage and calculating finish, a mix that is not as common as you think. They each left the ring to uncertain futures, and they could, in theory, fight again. Warrington wants a rematch; Wood would make a lot of money from a rematch. However, it will not be at featherweight as Wood confirmed that his battle with the scales is over and that he is moving up in weight. Warrington would be at a considerable size disadvantage in a rematch at a heavier weight. Incidentally, Wood retained his WBA bauble, but in the heat of the moment, that piece of jewellery was ignored. Wood is one of modern boxing’s best fairy tales, a family man, a quiet man and a fighter capable of changing a fight with just one punch. In boxing, that is arguably the ultimate. Read More The sporting weekend in pictures ‘It’s some turnaround’: Leigh Wood relishing late career resurgence Leigh Wood celebrates ‘best win’ as he retains WBA title Leigh Wood stops Josh Warrington with outrageous KO out of nowhere Leigh Wood: I’m Josh Warrington’s last chance to get back into title contention Wood vs Warrington LIVE: Results after vicious KO

Leigh Wood toasted the “best win” of his career after retaining his WBA featherweight title by battling back from a sustained beating to stop British rival Josh Warrington. At a frenzied Sheffield Arena, Warrington was well on the way to becoming a three-time champion at the weight as his relentless bursts of aggression and occasional roughhouse tactics left Wood reeling. But Wood kept his composure in a cauldron-like atmosphere and seized his moment in emphatic fashion as he followed up a stiff right hook with pinpoint combination punching that put Warrington on his back. Warrington rose gamely but unsteadily returned to his corner and as he did not turn round, referee Michael Alexander waved off the contest at the end of the seventh round to the Leeds fighter’s chagrin. “It wasn’t my best performance,” Wood said. “I did feel a bit groggy making the weight but no excuses. “That’s my best win, Josh is a two-time world champion, he has massive scalps on his record and I’m the only Brit to be beat him. “He’s a great fighter – definitely my best scalp. If we do it again then we do it again and if not, we’ll have a new challenge. We’ll see.” Less than two years on from stopping Michael Conlan in the last round when trailing on the cards in a high-profile bout, Wood insisted he can never be discounted after racking up a 28th win from 31 fights. “I don’t know what it is about me – I haven’t got any quit in me,” he said. “It’s never say die. “It’s the same as my career – I didn’t make the best start, I turned it around and got there, it was the same as the Conlan fight. “Write me off all you want, I’m just going to be there to the end and if I can do anything to win, I’ll do it.” A fight at the City Ground, home of his beloved Nottingham Forest, could be next for Wood, who could move up to super-featherweight after admitting boiling down to 126lb was becoming increasingly tough. While three years younger than his conqueror, Warrington’s future is less certain after slumping to his third defeat in 35 bouts, including back-to-back losses in world title fights in just under a year. He immediately protested Alexander’s decision to call a halt to proceedings after belatedly turning round before slumping his head on the referee’s shoulder as he accepted there was no way back. Warrington said afterwards: “I just feel a bit hard done by, it was the end of round, get to my feet, look at my dad with a smile on my face, turn round at (the count of) eight and it’s being waved off.” This fight took place on neutral territory – halfway between Wood’s home city of Nottingham and Warrington’s Leeds – but any return bout will be on the champion’s patch. With Wood insistent a fight at the City Ground is next, promoter Eddie Hearn suggested a rematch against Warrington is a highly tempting option. “It’s going to take a big fight for Leigh Wood at the City Ground,” Hearn said. “I want to see the fight back. “If Josh would have turned round, they would have 100 per cent let the fight carry on. If the ref did call it off at eight, it was too early because he should have given him the opportunity to turn around. “The ref said to me ‘he wouldn’t turn round and if he doesn’t turn round I can’t let him continue’. “When you look at frontrunners for sizes of fights at the City Ground, I think the rematch is probably the biggest one.” Read More Jos Buttler concerned by ‘poor’ outfield ahead of England clash with Bangladesh Football rumours: Wayne Rooney in the running for Birmingham job Quarterback Brock Purdy stars as San Francisco 49ers thrash the Dallas Cowboys On this day in 2015: Sam Allardyce appointed Sunderland manager The sporting weekend in pictures Luke Humphries beats Gerwyn Price to claim first major title at World Grand Prix

Leigh Wood savoured the continuation of his “Cinderella story” as he signed off from the featherweight division by retaining his world title with a dramatic stoppage of Josh Warrington. Wood revealed his battle with the scales had been as tough as the fight for the WBA crown in Sheffield, where Warrington’s bullish flurries put him up on the scorecards ahead of the second half of the bout. Nursing a cut and swelling by his right eye, Wood remained composed and flipped the script at the end of the seventh with a savage right hook and a burst of punches that left Warrington flat on his back. Referee Michael Alexander halted the contest despite Warrington’s howls of protestation as Wood celebrated his 28th win from 31 fights, adding another chapter to his late career resurgence. It was not too long ago Wood was fighting down the card on small hall shows, while a points defeat against Jazza Dickens in February 2020 left him short of options at the wrong side of 30. But a year later he was the British champion and, within 18 months of his loss to Dickens, Wood claimed a world title as he reaped the rewards of linking up with Ben Davison, Tyson Fury’s former trainer. The 35-year-old said: “It’s some turnaround, kind of a Cinderella story. My team has changed me as a fighter. I know I wouldn’t have won the world title without them. “I probably wouldn’t have won the British title without them. The time I had before that completely changed me as a fighter, changed my perception on boxing and how I view it and how I operate.” Wood is no stranger to adversity after following up his upset win over Can Xu to become world champion with a stunning final-round stoppage of Michael Conlan last year when behind on the judges’ scorecards. He was brutally stopped by Mauricio Lara in February but went straight back into the lion’s den for a rematch three months later and regained his world title, while his latest win brings plenty of options. A fight at the City Ground, the home of his beloved Nottingham Forest, is the priority, but it will not be another defence of his title as boiling his 5ft 7in frame to nine stone has become too difficult. He said: “This was a great fight, but am I ever in a dull fight? I’m not, so on that basis I think I’ve got the pick of the litter. It's some turnaround, kind of a Cinderella story. My team has changed me as a fighter Leigh Wood “I could give Josh another shot, I’d be open to that, but it wouldn’t be at featherweight, I can’t make it safely any more. Who isn’t really the bigger problem, it’s more where – the City Ground – and when.” Wood was coy when asked whether a City Ground fight would be his last, adding: “I’m 35, I sacrificed lot to get here. “There’s going to be a massive void in my life after boxing so we’ll see. We’ll do the City Ground, but the only other thing I can think of (after that) is a Las Vegas fight.” Warrington came into this showdown having lost his IBF title last December but, in a cauldron-like atmosphere, the Leeds fighter controlled proceedings before the momentum was switched in an instant. After his third defeat in 35 fights, Warrington, who insisted the stoppage was premature, intends to carry on and suggested he will also move up to super-featherweight and pursue a rematch against Wood. He said: “I’m devastated. I was cruising the fight, up on the scorecards and I switched off for a split second. Maybe I got up too quickly, but my senses were all with me, I heard the bell go. “I thought would have been at least given an opportunity to sit down (at the end of the round). I dominated most of those rounds. I just know I’ve still got plenty in the tank. “This was probably my last fight at featherweight, I still make it comfortable but it’s been a long time and my better performances in sparring have come when I’ve been a bit heavier.” Read More Jos Buttler concerned by ‘poor’ outfield ahead of England clash with Bangladesh Football rumours: Wayne Rooney in the running for Birmingham job Quarterback Brock Purdy stars as San Francisco 49ers thrash the Dallas Cowboys On this day in 2015: Sam Allardyce appointed Sunderland manager The sporting weekend in pictures Luke Humphries beats Gerwyn Price to claim first major title at World Grand Prix

Netherlands has won the toss and elected to field against a New Zealand lineup that will be missing skipper Kane Williamson for a second successive game at the Cricket World Cup