List of All Articles with Tag 'sport'

Anthony Joshua has a complicated legacy, but an incomplete one. The Olympic gold medalist was the darling of British boxing, before a few underwhelming performances and results confirmed sneaking suspicions that he was not the combatant many hoped he was, but now he is intent on proving that he is more of a boxer than a brand. Deontay Wilder’s legacy is altogether simpler. The American is probably the hardest hitter that boxing has ever seen, harnessing hellish power but not the technical abilities to win his biggest fights – a trilogy of bouts with Tyson Fury. Now, Joshua and Wilder face the riskiest proposition of their careers: a clash years in the making. It is the boxing equivalent of a high-wire walk at 1,300 feet, with no harness to save you. One wrong move and either heavyweight’s legacy would be irrevocably changed. The bout, planned for Saudi Arabia in January, is not only the most explosive prospective fight in all of boxing, but also one of the most alluring. There is an argument that fans crave this match-up more than Joshua vs Fury, which looks ever more likely to be an imbalanced affair, and Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk, which would be a display of sporting mastery but might lack the brutal edge that viewers seek. In one corner: Joshua, a former two-time unified world champion with a record of 26-3 (23 knockouts); in the other: Wilder, a former WBC champion whose record stands at 43-2-1 (42 KOs). Joshua, 33, and Wilder, 37, are two of the most devastating punchers in their division, but while “AJ” is technically sounder, the “Bronze Bomber” has an unfaltering to his cause – a commitment that could prove decisive. Joshua once had that same conviction, but it has wavered in the wake of his trio of losses. Since being stunned by that Andy Ruiz Jr TKO in 2019, Joshua has appeared gun shy, save for his knockout of Kubrat Pulev. This change was evident in his back-to-back points defeats by Usyk, in his decision win against Jermaine Franklin in April, and even in his victory over Robert Helenius on Saturday. Prior to knocking out the Finn in the seventh round, Joshua told his coach Derrick James, “It’s hard to find the right hand,” though the Briton was reaching for that shot rather hesitantly. Of course, Helenius was a short-notice replacement for a much more familiar foe, Dillian Whyte, so Joshua was right not to rush, but there is a feeling that he could have found the finish earlier. Even so, it does not matter that it did not come as quickly as it did for Wilder against Helenius, when the American clubbed the 39-year-old out of consciousness in Round 1 in October. What matters more is that Joshua’s tentative forward and lateral movement would leave him dangerously exposed against Wilder, who has dropped every single man he has fought. “You can’t stand there jabbing against Wilder, it doesn’t work against Wilder,” David Haye said on Saturday, although it should be said that Joshua used that shot well at the O2 Arena. Wilder’s coach Malik Scott, meanwhile, had this to say: “I know that [Joshua] only has three or four rounds in the ring with Deontay Wilder before he gets knocked out. AJ wants to overthink and sit back and play that game, and we’re not gonna allow that. Deontay’s coming to send him to the next dimension, and that’s his intention. When he’s not punching at you, he’s punching through you. The difference is the violent aspect; Deontay is way more violent with his hips and bad-intention punches than AJ will ever be.” That may be a biased analysis, but that does not mean it is wrong. There is a serious risk that Joshua would not see the fourth round of a meeting with Wilder, unless he can take confidence from his own, beautiful finish of Helenius and rediscover the nasty edge that poked out on occasion during his come-up. When Joshua sensed the end against Whyte in 2015, he could not help but grin and wind up his compatriot by pretending to wind up his right hand. Joshua would need not only to be vindictive against Wilder, but proactive. Wilder has the ability to end that fight early, but so does Joshua. Wilder’s chin has held up largely well in his 46 professional fights, and it took volume of output for Fury to stop him in 2020; however, Fury relied on his growing punching power to defeat Wilder in 2021, and the “Gypsy King” cannot pulverise opponents like Joshua can. If Joshua could bring himself to close the range against Wilder, avoiding the American’s looping shots and taking a direct approach – defending by attacking – he would have a good chance. Yet he must also beware the kind of sneaky, short attack with which Wilder transported Helenius to a different universe – a punch with no pull-back, which looked innocuous in the moment. James’s gameplan would be crucial for Joshua, whose mentality would also determine the pattern of the fight – and maybe its outcome. Joshua can beat Wilder, the question is whether he would be brave enough to. Read More Anthony Joshua must sort out his boxing life as Deontay Wilder superfight looms Deontay Wilder’s coach reveals American’s reaction to Anthony Joshua knockout Anthony Joshua takes swig of Conor McGregor’s Irish stout after Helenius knockout Anthony Joshua vs Deontay Wilder in January? Key questions answered Deontay Wilder’s coach reveals American’s reaction to Anthony Joshua knockout The sporting weekend in pictures

Sandro Tonali arrived as one of Newcastle’s major signings this summer, and it looks like he’s adapting to the British way of doing things pretty quickly. In fact, the midfielder looks to have cemented his status as a bit of a fan favourite already after putting in a fantastic debut performance and then reserving a table in a local Wetherspoons. The 23-year-old was spotted down the pub with a reservation, and it looks like he was celebrating his first Newcastle game in Saturday's 5-1 hammering of Aston Villa at the boozer. An image, shared by fan page NUFC Gallowgate on Twitter, shows a table booked at a ‘Spoons under the name “Tonali”. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter A second picture shows the midfielder posing for a picture with a fan in a Newcastle shirt. It’s not taken long, but he’s clearly already established himself as a cult hero. Tonali impressed during his first game in black and white, scoring inside the first six minutes and putting in a strong performance throughout. The Italian international arrived for a fee believed to be in the region of £60 million from AC Milan in the summer, becoming the most expensive Italian player of all time. Alexander Isak also scored two goals in the game on Saturday (August 12) with Callum Wilson and debutant Harvey Barnes also adding their names to the scoresheet. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

What the papers say West Ham may yet pull the plug on a deal for Harry Maguire, according to The Telegraph. The Manchester United defender has been rumoured to be on the way to London Stadium for some time, but the paper says the Hammers’ management are growing increasingly fed up with the amount of time it is taking to finalise the deal and may decide to walk away if it continues to drag on. A host of Premier League and Serie A clubs are said to be lining up to sign Lille midfielder Carlos Baleba. The Daily Mail reports Liverpool, Newcastle, AC Milan and Juventus are all interested in the 19-year-old, with Brighton believed to be leading the charge for his signature. The Newcastle Chronicle says the Magpies have reached out to Arsenal over full-back Kieran Tierney. Any deal could be hard to come by for the north-east club however, with the Gunners reportedly likely to refuse to budge on their £30million price tag for the 26-year-old. And the Daily Mirror reports Arsenal defender Gabriel is the latest player to be targeted by the Saudi Pro League. Social media round-up Players to watch Hugo Ekitike: RMC Sport says Everton have opened talks with Paris St Germain over a loan deal for the 21-year-old forward. Nicolo Zaniolo: Aston Villa are on the verge of sealing a loan deal for the Galatasaray midfielder, according to Sport Italia. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Christian Bethancourt homered and singled in a run to back Tyler Glasnow’s fourth straight winning decision, and the Tampa Bay Rays won their first game since placing All-Star shortstop Wander Franco on the restricted list, beating the San Francisco Giants 10-2

Ryan O’Hearn homered and Gunnar Henderson hit a bases-clearing double off Yu Darvish for the AL-leading Baltimore Orioles, who beat the staggering San Diego Padres 4-1 for their third straight win

Dairon Blanco executed a suicide squeeze bunt in the ninth inning to score Samad Taylor, and the Kansas City Royals rallied after blowing a 5-0 lead to hand the playoff-contending Seattle Mariners their third straight loss, 7-6 on Monday night

Australia’s run to the Women’s World Cup semifinals and the expanded 32-team format have helped set records for attendance at the tournament

Rookie Jordan Walker hit a bases-loaded triple in the seventh inning, and the St. Louis Cardinals rallied for a 7-5 victory over the Oakland Athletics in a matchup of last-place teams

Max Scherzer allowed only one infield single and one walk while striking out a season-high 11 in seven innings to record his third win in three Texas starts as the Rangers beat the Los Angeles Angels 12-0

Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies is headed to the 10-day injured list after missing Monday night’s game against the New York Yankees with a left hamstring strain

MIAMI (AP) — Jorge Soler, Luis Arraez and Josh Bell hit consecutive homers in the eighth inning and the Miami Marlins beat the Houston Astros 5-1 on Monday night.

Nicky Lopez drove in three runs with three hits in a fill-in role, Max Fried allowed two runs in his first home start since coming off the injured list and the Atlanta Braves beat the New York Yankees 11-3