List of All Articles with Tag 'sport'

WNBA players have one less option to play overseas with the conflict in Israel, adding to diminishing opportunities amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine

There's a huge silver lining for the NFL teams who have stumbled to start the 2023 season

Dusty Baker and Bruce Bochy are the two oldest managers in the majors and are facing off in the AL Championship Series

Temba Bavuma has won his first toss in three games as South Africa opted to bowl against Netherlands in a rain-hit match at the Cricket World Cup

Friends will become enemies this weekend, as Joshua Buatsi and Dan Azeez clash in an all-British bout at the O2 Arena. The unbeaten light-heavyweights will meet in a main-event contest in London, with each boxer aiming to move a step closer to a world-title fight – at the other’s expense. Thirty-year-old Buatsi (17-0, 13 knockouts) will enter the O2 on the back of a decision victory over Pawel Stepien in May, before Azeez, 34, outpointed Khalid Graidia in July to improve his record to 20-0 (13 KOs). “What’s at stake allows me to put [our friendship] aside,” Buatsi said in August. Azeez added: “I’m at war with a friend who’s in front of my dreams and aspirations. “I see an entertaining, brutal fight, ultimately with my hand being raised.” Here’s all you need to know. We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. When is the fight? Buatsi vs Azeez will take place at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday 21 October. The main card is scheduled to begin at 8pm BST (12pm PT, 2pm CT, 3pm ET), with ring walks for the main event expected at around 10pm BST (2pm PT, 4pm CT, 5pm ET). How can I watch it? In the UK, the event will air live on Sky Sports for subscribers. It will also be available to stream on the broadcaster’s website and Sky Go app. No US broadcaster has yet been announced. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch the event, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider. Odds Buatsi – 30/100 Azeez – 13/5 Draw – 18/1 Full odds via Betway. • Get all the latest boxing betting sites’ offers Fight card (subject to change) Joshua Buatsi vs Dan Azeez (light-heavyweight) Louis Greene (C) vs Sam Gilley (Commonwealth super-welterweight title) Mikael Lawal (C) vs Isaac Chamberlain (British cruiserweight title) Karriss Artingstall vs Vanessa Bradford (women’s featherweight) Michael Hennessy Jr vs Joe Laws (super-welterweight) Read More How to watch Buatsi vs Azeez and what time does fight start? KSI vs Tommy Fury result changed after judging error Dillon Danis explains why he will appeal defeat by Logan Paul KSI vs Tommy Fury result changed after judging error Dillon Danis explains why he will appeal defeat by Logan Paul KSI vs Tommy Fury prize money: How much did the fighters earn?

Joshua Buatsi and Dan Azeez will go head to head in London this weekend, putting their friendship aside in an all-British main event. Each man will enter London’s O2 Arena with an unbeaten record to his name, with both boxers looking to move closer to a world-title shot at light-heavyweight. Last time out, 30-year-old Buatsi (17-0, 13 knockouts) outpointed Pawel Stepien in May to remain undefeated. Then, in July, 34-year-old Azeez (20-0, 13 KOs) was a decision victor against Khalid Graidia. Now, the friends will come face to face in the ring as they headline in a highly-anticipated bout. “What’s at stake allows me to put [our friendship] aside,” Buatsi said in August. Azeez added: “I’m at war with a friend who’s in front of my dreams and aspirations. “I see an entertaining, brutal fight, ultimately with my hand being raised.” Here’s all you need to know. We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. When is the fight? Buatsi vs Azeez will take place at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday 21 October. The main card is scheduled to begin at 8pm BST (12pm PT, 2pm CT, 3pm ET), with ring walks for the main event expected at around 10pm BST (2pm PT, 4pm CT, 5pm ET). How can I watch it? In the UK, the event will air live on Sky Sports for subscribers. It will also be available to stream on the broadcaster’s website and Sky Go app. No US broadcaster has yet been announced. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch the event, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider. Odds Buatsi – 30/100 Azeez – 13/5 Draw – 18/1 Full odds via Betway. • Get all the latest boxing betting sites’ offers Fight card (subject to change) Joshua Buatsi vs Dan Azeez (light-heavyweight) Louis Greene (C) vs Sam Gilley (Commonwealth super-welterweight title) Mikael Lawal (C) vs Isaac Chamberlain (British cruiserweight title) Karriss Artingstall vs Vanessa Bradford (women’s featherweight) Michael Hennessy Jr vs Joe Laws (super-welterweight) Read More Fury vs Ngannou pay-per-view price revealed ahead of controversial fight KSI vs Tommy Fury result changed after judging error Dillon Danis reveals next move after loss to Logan Paul Who is fighting on the Buatsi vs Azeez undercard this weekend? KSI vs Tommy Fury result changed after judging error Dillon Danis explains why he will appeal defeat by Logan Paul

PARIS (AP) — Rugby World Cup knockout games have no respect for reputations. Ireland and France, each highly ranked, highly rated and in seemingly top form, were surprisingly knocked out in the quarterfinals.

Oscar-winning actor Michelle Yeoh has been elected an International Olympic Committee member

Mikey Johnston has warned the Netherlands not to underestimate the Republic of Ireland as the Dutch attempt to book their place at the finals of Euro 2024. Barring an unlikely sequence of events which would hand Ireland a play-off place, they will not be in Germany next summer, but the Netherlands will be if they can take maximum points from their remaining Group B fixtures against Stephen Kenny’s men and Gibraltar next month. Monday night’s last-gasp 1-0 win in Greece as the Republic beat Gibraltar 4-0 in Faro left the Netherlands in pole position to claim second place behind France, but Celtic winger Johnston, who was on the scoresheet along with Evan Ferguson, Matt Doherty and Callum Robinson, is determined to end a disappointing campaign on a high. Asked if he saw the trip to Amsterdam as a chance to bloody the nose of one of European football’s big guns, who won 2-1 in Dublin last month, the 24-year-old said: “I think we have shown we can do that. “Obviously the results haven’t gone our way, but we went toe-to-toe with them and it’s just fine margins. “At either end in the box, we’ve not been good enough at times, conceding goals we shouldn’t have and maybe we’ve not taken our chances as well. “This group has given everything to qualify and that’s all we can ask.” Our group is obviously tough, but we are not making excuses, we still believed we could qualify from the group. Mikey Johnston Ireland always knew they had a tough task to get out of the group when they were drawn against both the Dutch and World Cup runners-up France. But defeat by the Greeks in Athens in their second fixture left them up against it and they will head into their final fixture with only six points banked from the first seven, all of them against whipping boys Gibraltar. That return has left manager Kenny facing a review next month which might well have been brought forward despite assurances to the contrary had things gone badly at the Estadio Algarve, and few commentators expect him to remain in his role. Asked to assess the campaign, Johnston said: “Obviously it’s disappointing that we haven’t qualified. Our group is obviously tough, but we are not making excuses, we still believed we could qualify from the group.” Whether or not Kenny is involved in the international set-up beyond November remains to be seen, but Johnston will hope his efforts to date in the green shirt will lead to further caps. His six appearances so far – the last of them a first start – have yielded two goals and an exciting brand of football which has at times been missing from Kenny’s team despite the manager’s attempts to adopt a more progressive approach. Johnston spent last season on loan at Vitoria Guimaraes in Portugal, but has missed the start of the new campaign back at Celtic after suffering a stress fracture in his back, and he is now looking to catch the eye of club boss Brendan Rodgers. He said: “I’m just trying to work my way behind the scenes to get my opportunity. The manager has got tough decisions to make. He has got wingers that he has brought in for a few million and whatever, so it’s up to me to get into the team.” Read More On this day in 2018: Shahid Khan withdraws £900m offer to buy Wembley from FA Dallas Cowboys bounce back to edge past Los Angeles Chargers Stephen Kenny focused on fixtures instead of future after Ireland beat Gibraltar David Brooks looks to impress for Wales at a major tournament Northern Ireland U21s lose late on against Serbia I quite like the noise – Ellis Genge ‘fuelled’ by England’s critics

Sweden players are returning to their clubs after taking an overnight flight home from Brussels following the suspension of their European Championship qualifier against Belgium at halftime because a gunman killed two Swedish nationals before kickoff

Sri Lanka’ s cricket authorities have lifted a ban on international player Danushka Gunathilaka after he was cleared by an Australian court of sexual assault charges

Luciano Spalletti was supposed to be on his Tuscan farm now. Arguably, though, he should still be at Napoli, managing what had looked like Europe’s most unexpectedly entertaining side. Instead, he will be at Wembley on Tuesday, in charge of Italy, his appointment a consequence of a combination of factors from the personal to the political, the footballing to the financial. Or, in a different way, of two emails. One, triggering the extension in his Napoli contract without a pay rise, stemmed from club president Aurelio De Laurentiis, and instead prompted his resignation. A need for a sabbatical on his farm the cited reason; a breakdown in relationships more of a cause. The other, from Roberto Mancini’s camp a few months later, was his sudden resignation as Italy manager, the first to lead the Azzurri to a major title since Enzo Bearzot, trading the patriotism of leading his country for a reported £20m a year to take charge of Saudi Arabia instead. And so it will be Spalletti in England, his presence a product of the enduring pulling power of the Azzurri job. While elite club coaches often eschew the international game, three of the last four incumbents, including Antonio Conte, are Scudetto winners, whereas no England manager has won the Premier League or the old Division 1 since Don Revie. It comes after the greatest feat of a career in the dugout that dates back three decades. Spalletti became only the third manager to secure Napoli the Serie A title, and the first to do so without the benefit of Diego Maradona’s genius. The title was clinched in May: the footballing high came last autumn, amid a run of 13 consecutive wins in all competitions. There were 20 goals in the Champions League group stage: the 4-1 evisceration of Liverpool was, despite Manchester City’s spring demolitions of Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, arguably the finest performance in the competition all season. Rewind a year and Napoli were arguably the best side in world football at the time. Which few predicted after the departures of Dries Mertens, Lorenzo Insigne and Kalidou Koulibaly. If there was magic in Spalletti’s attacking side, there was also the element of the unknown, in the revelation Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. What it was not, however, was a particularly Italian team: only three of the 14 players with the most appearances are even eligible for the Azzurri. Spalletti may name two of his former charges in his starting XI at Wembley, but while Giovanni Di Lorenzo captained Napoli, Giacomo Raspadori was only the understudy to the prolific Victor Osimhen. If Spalletti’s alchemy is illustrated by Napoli’s struggles under his successor Rudi Garcia – beaten three times already at home this season, they have lost to each of the best sides they have faced – it may be required by Italy. His inheritance is mixed. “Once we have played [England], then I will tell you what the potential is,” Spalletti said after Saturday’s 4-0 win over Malta. It is little more than a year since Italy were on a record run of 37 games unbeaten. It is only 28 months since the Azzurri won Euro 2020 at Wembley; in a rematch with England, perhaps only Gianluigi Donnarumma, Di Lorenzo and Nicolo Barella will start both games. Before England’s March win in Naples, Mancini lamented the Italian talent pool. “We are worse off than Southgate,” he said. It was a sign of the negativity enveloping him, an indication of the disenchantment that may have propelled him to the desert. He gave 57 players their debuts, casting around with ingenuity and impatience. He looked to the Oriundi, seeking to naturalise some from the Italian diaspora. Spalletti has dropped the Argentina-born forward Mateo Retegui; he has also omitted some of the stalwarts of the recent past, in Leonardo Bonucci, Marco Verratti and Jorginho, while recalling Giacomo Bonaventura who, at 34, is older than his fellow midfielders. He has five of Internazionale’s Champions League final starters and has given a debut to Tottenham’s in-form left-back Destiny Udogie. In other respects, however, it could be seen as an undistinguished squad, certainly compared to Italy’s past. Lose and, if Ukraine beat Malta, Italy will find themselves three points behind their rivals for second spot, with a game in hand but a de facto decider when they face Ukraine in Leverkusen in November. It could mean Italy miss three of four major tournaments after Euro 2016; the added curiosity being that they won the other one. In part, it reflects the tragedy of Mancini; unused as a hugely gifted forward in the 1990 World Cup, omitted in 1994 after falling out with Arrigo Sacchi, he had declared his ambition was to win the World Cup as Italy manager. Instead, they failed to qualify for the 2022 tournament; if he is at the 2026 version, it will be as the richly rewarded Saudi Arabia manager. There will be no Euro 2024 for him; there may be for Spalletti. A wizened, gnomic figure is scarcely the stereotype of an Italian manager: more attack-minded, more idealistic, for years the architect of sides who were stylish nearly men. But then so, too, were an Azzurri side who influenced him in his upbringing. At his unveiling, Spalletti said he would carry the giant Italy flag his mother sewed for him as an 11-year-old to celebrate the 1970 World Cup semi-final win against West Germany. It was an epic 4-3. More than half a century later, Spalletti has no Gigi Riva, Gianni Rivera or Sandro Mazzola, nor an Osimhen or a Kvaratskhelia, no world-class forward. But, for the second time in two seasons, he has the chance to use his principles and his capacity to generate something spectacular from seemingly unpromising ingredients to make history. Read More Wembley revenge to seal place at Euro 2024? – England v Italy talking points Gareth Southgate fired up as England face ‘revitalised’ Italy in crunch clash England fans may have turned on Jordan Henderson — but he still has Gareth Southgate England fans may have turned on Jordan Henderson — but he still has Gareth Southgate Belgium officials release details on suspected shooter of Sweden fans On this day in 2018: Shahid Khan withdraws £900m offer to buy Wembley from FA