List of All Articles with Tag 'epgb sports'

Nate Diaz has said he knows the ‘secret’ to Jake Paul’s success as a boxer, while warning the YouTube star: ‘I’m in on it, too.’ UFC icon Diaz, 38, will make his professional boxing debut on Saturday, facing Paul in Dallas, Texas. The bout will mark Diaz’s first fight since leaving the UFC in September, when he submitted Tony Ferguson. Meanwhile, 26-year-old Paul last fought in February, suffering his first loss as he was beaten on points by Tommy Fury. Prior to that result, American Paul was unbeaten with wins over ex-UFC champions Anderson Silva and Tyron Woodley, as well as mixed martial arts star Ben Askren. Paul knocked out Askren, beat Woodley on points then via knockout in a rematch, before defeating Silva via decision. Addressing his compatriot’s boxing career ahead of their fight this weekend, Diaz said on Wednesday (2 August): “The thing about him is, he knows that MMA fighters can’t box and they’re in over their heads trying to box, because he went in there and worked a bunch over in training and in fights. “MMA fighters don’t know this, but the only thing about that is: I’m in on the same secret, and I’ve been in on that since I was 15. I’m not your average wrestler, MMA fighter. “I didn’t wrestle. When these guys he fought were in the wrestling room at five, six, seven, 10, 15 years old, I was boxing the whole neighbourhood, boxing every pro I could find. I was boxing the highest level I could find, my whole career.” As a mixed martial artist, Diaz is best known for his jiu-jitsu skills, although his volume striking and cardio also characterised his UFC run. In contrast, Woodley and Askren were predominantly wrestlers, although Silva is seen by many as the greatest striker in MMA history. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Jake Paul vs Nate Diaz live stream: How to watch fight online and on TV this weekend The hidden side of Jake Paul Amanda Serrano announces surprise return to MMA with PFL

Undisputed featherweight champion Amanda Serrano will return to mixed martial arts, she announced on Wednesday (2 July). Serrano defends her titles in a rematch with Heather Hardy on Saturday, on the undercard of Jake Paul’s boxing match with UFC icon Nate Diaz, and the Puerto Rican will then look ahead to an MMA bout. Serrano, 34, is 2-0-1 in MMA and last fought in 2021, and her next contest in the sport will take place in the Professional Fighters League (PFL). A date for that fight will be confirmed in due course, the promotion said. Serrano is promoted by YouTube star Paul, who has gone 6-1 as a professional boxer and also signed an MMA deal with the PFL this year. “I may be known for boxing, but I’ve always loved and trained in MMA and jiu-jitsu, knowing those skills would only add to my ability when going against any opponent,” Serrano said. “The League’s commitment to gender equality, providing equal opportunities and recognition of female fighters, is also a driving force behind my decision.” Serrano’s MMA debut in 2018 ended as a draw, with her second outing – the same year – going her way as she won by submission. Serrano also won her last fight, in June 2021, via submission. In her previous boxing match with Hardy, whom Serrano faces on Saturday, the Puerto Rican won via unanimous decision. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Jake Paul vs Nate Diaz live stream: How to watch fight online and on TV this weekend The hidden side of Jake Paul Conor Benn may face extra hurdle to fight, Eddie Hearn and British Boxing Board reveal

New faces, same issues. Pre-season is not the proving ground, more the moment to set the tone of what’s to come and, where needed, prune and alter approaches. For Liverpool, this summer is shaping up to be more of a change than manager Jurgen Klopp had expected, but perhaps just enough of the same remains to serve as a reminder that alterations were required before and that is still the case now. On the one hand, that isn’t unexpected. Defensive issues plagued the season in 2022/23, even among the improvement of the final third of the campaign, and while the new in-possession shape has brought definite improvements on the ball, it was still jarring and lacking cohesion by late May. Fast forward a few mostly meaningless games and that same mix of output remains on show – and that’s all the more the case after a totally new midfield trio looks to be in place once the 23/24 Premier League season starts. Wednesday’s friendly 4-3 defeat with Bayern Munich showed the good and the bad of the past few months, in the most relevant and difficult encounter of the summer for the Anfield club: great interplay at times, plenty of players in goalscoring areas, ragged running back against transitions and a mix-up in responsibilities inside the defensive third. New signings Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister look increasingly likely to start the campaign as the two advanced midfielders, left and right-sided respectively. The former appears to have brought more of his A-game so far, showing good ball-carrying and chance creation, but sheer numbers probably dictate they’ll both be in the line-up anyway – six senior midfield options have left since last season, with just those two through the door so far. Behind them, Curtis Jones once more operated as the No.6, the stand-in replacement for the departed Fabinho and Jordan Henderson, having starred for two or three months last term in the left-sided role now occupied by his new Hungarian teammate. Between the trio, the build-up approach, playing from deep and manipulation of the ball around a press can at times look exceptional. Jones in particular can be seen taking more risks in individual movements than his predecessors did, but against that comes his lack of natural positional awareness and lesser tenacity in ball-winning. Certainly, the latter is a big trait currently missing in the Reds’ heart of operations, along with aerial ability and overall aggression to get goal-side against counter-attacks or direct balls over them from deep. Of more importance remains the ability for the team to organise itself after Trent Alexander-Arnold roves centrally or beyond the midfield line, in his still-new, impactful style. Two of Bayern’s goals came in this regard while he was still on the pitch; one more came down that side after the new vice-captain departed. It’s clearly an area that Klopp and his coaches have not yet reached a consensus on, or else been able to transmit to the players who is responsible for each area according to different phases of play: the person covering centre-back if the right-sided defender is pulled across, where Alexander-Arnold himself is most effective getting back to and where the left-back needs to track if runners are both centrally and on his side. Andy Robertson has been a victim of this indecision and lack of clarity more than once, and the same proved true against Bayern, missing a tackle and tracking a runner in the wrong area before a goal ends up being scored from his side of the box. And yet so much of this is a knock-on from the No.6, the defensive midfielder. Jones has impressed on the ball and has the diligence to fight for a place in the team, yet again, and his summer with the England U21 team saw him get game-time in that role. But runners surging past him, still-to-improve tackling technique and just the natural inclination to be in place against the best central passers and runners are, naturally, not going to be his forte. Should he remain in place for the opening league match of the season, Chelsea vs Liverpool could be an epic opener for the top flight: both have clear attacking excellence, but neither have secured the ball-winner in the middle they desire. It could be that Romeo Lavia or an alternative arrive at Anfield between now and then, leaving Klopp to decide between the lack of cohesion between three new signings who have never played together – but one has natural defensive tendencies – or three players who are new to their roles in this team, but one who at least has had a regular role over the past few months. Either way, it won’t be perfect. And either way, the set-up doesn’t yet look fully prepared for the rigours of bigger challenges ahead– just as was the case three months ago, albeit with very different faces in place. Read More Jurgen Klopp wanted a midfield change at Liverpool – instead he got a revolution Man United join Romeo Lavia chase as midfield transfers look set to shape the market Klopp hits out at the Saudi Arabian transfer window length: ‘Not helpful’ Man United join Lavia chase as midfield transfers shape the market A new era for old empires? How a summer of rebuilding could change the Premier League Liverpool transfer news: Lavia, Andre, Doucoure, Thiago and more

The final day of group stage action takes place in the Women’s World Cup as Colombia, Germany and Morocco all hope to reach the last-16. Colombia have the best chance after their shock victory over Germany in their previous outing. Manuela Vanegas scored a dramatic 97th-minute winner to put the South America side top of Group H and needing just a point to ensure they progress to the knockout rounds. They take on Morocco who have hopes of causing an upset of their own. The African side currently sit third in the table on the same amount of points as Germany. To have any chance of making it out of the group they need to defeat Colombia, by a big margin and hope the Germans drop points. Meanwhile, Germany have the easiest task on paper. South Korea are bottom of the group having lost their opening two fixtures. A win for Alexandra Popp and co. should be enough to get them through thanks to their healthy goal difference yet they may have to settle for second place. Check out our best bets and predictions for Thursday’s matches. Elsewhere, Lauren James shone again on with two stunning goals as England put in their best performance of the Women’s World Cup so far earlier this week to sweep aside China 6-1 and march into the last 16. The Lionesses are now preparing for a clash with Nigeria for a place in the quarter-finals. Follow all the latest news and match updates below: Read More Genius Lauren James takes over Women’s World Cup — but England must learn from rivals Sarina Wiegman’s brave England switch solves key Women’s World Cup problem USA’s narrow escape spells the end of Women’s World Cup dominance

Katie Taylor and Chantelle Cameron will return to Dubin’s 3Arena for a rematch in November, six months after Cameron retained her super-lightweight titles against the Irish icon. Cameron beat Taylor via majority decision at the 3Arena in May, remaining undisputed champion and handing the 37-year-old her first professional loss in the process. Now Taylor, who is undisputed at lightweight, will get another shot at Cameron’s belts, when the pair square off on 25 November. “I’m delighted the rematch has been made,” said Taylor, “and I really can’t wait for another huge night in November. I relish challenges like this. These are the occasions I live for.” Meanwhile, England’s Cameron said: “Last time out I pulled off one of the best ever away wins against the best female fighter on the planet. To go over to Ireland for her homecoming, with my belts on the line, and beat her was a brilliant experience – but beating her on 25 November will surpass that. “I’ve boxed at that high level with a huge amount of pressure on me and the crowd against me,” added the unbeaten Cameron, 32. “I’m going to go in there with more aggression and energy, and I’m confident of getting the job done in better fashion. I’m going to be a lot better in the rematch. “I said it last time: I think I’m all wrong for Katie. I’m too big, I’m too strong, and my will to win is too strong. I’m going to be there all night long.” Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Conor Benn may face extra hurdle to fight, Eddie Hearn and British Boxing Board reveal Errol Spence Jr drops hint over next move in social-media update Terence Crawford’s masterclass puts him in conversation to be an all-time great

The new football season is nearly upon us and it’s just over a week before the Premier League returns. After a poor season last year, which saw Liverpool miss out on Champions League football this term, the Reds have been undergoing a midfield rebuild this summer. Ageing players like Jordan Henderson and Fabinho have moved to the Saudi Pro League with manager Jurgen Klopp bringing in replacements in the forms of Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister. Liverpool have done there business early in this transfer window and will hope their new signings can hit the ground running. Szoboszlai and Mac Allister will form the basis of Liverpool’s starting XI this season and start alongside each for the first time in pre-season today. The Reds face their toughest test as they take on the Bundesliga champions and have named a strong line-up. Follow all the action as Liverpool take on Bayern Munich in Singapore: Read More Liverpool name Virgil van Dijk as new captain after Jordan Henderson exit Klopp hits out at the Saudi Arabian transfer window length: ‘Not helpful’ Jurgen Klopp responds after Kylian Mbappe to Liverpool rumours

Conor Benn may have one more hurdle to overcome in order to fight in Britain, Eddie Hearn has confirmed, despite the boxer being cleared by UK Anti-Doping this week. After Benn failed two drug tests in 2022, which led to the collapse of his planned bout with Chris Eubank Jr, the welterweight was cleared by the WBC earlier this year and by UK Anti-Doping (Ukad) this week. Benn, 26, and his promoter Hearn celebrated the Ukad ruling as the end of a saga, but the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) said in a statement on Tuesday (1 August): “We wish to reconfirm that the Ukad Rules which apply to those proceedings provide all parties, including the BBBofC, with a right of appeal. “The BBBofC takes all anti-doping matters extremely seriously and is considering the exercise of its rights.” Hearn then told iFL TV: “He’s cleared to fight in Britain, subject to the approval of the BBBofC, which is the next process to undertake. “I would like Conor Benn to go through the process with the board, and we’ll do that, and hopefully – after being cleared from the WBC and in that [Ukad] hearing – we can move forward with a licence. “Maybe [the BBBofC will appeal]. I can imagine the whole world and their dog is calling the board, telling them to appeal it. We live in a strange, strange business, but ultimately everything that has been asked of Conor Benn, he’s done. He’s been cleared by the WBC, the suspension has been lifted by Ukad. “It’s up to the board if they want to. We’re ready for everything. We’re a year in, fighting every day, so we ain’t going anywhere.” Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Jake Paul vs Nate Diaz live stream: How to watch fight online and on TV this weekend Errol Spence Jr drops hint over next move in social-media update Terence Crawford’s masterclass puts him in conversation to be an all-time great

The group stage of the 2023 Women’s World Cup is almost complete, with just three more quartets needing to wrap up their opening games and discover which nations make the knockouts. On Wednesday it’s the turn of Argentina to try and force their way through to the last 16 as they face Sweden, while Italy play South Africa also needing a result to progress. Later, Brazil must overcome Jamaica to seal progression from Group F after being beaten by France - who are top and face minnows Panama. Meanwhile, Lauren James shone again on Tuesday with two stunning goals as England put in their best performance of the Women’s World Cup so far to sweep aside China 6-1 and march into the last 16. USA only just managed to sneak through with a draw against Portugal, leading to criticism from former stars. Follow all the latest news and match updates below: Read More Genius Lauren James takes over Women’s World Cup — but England must learn from rivals Sarina Wiegman’s brave England switch solves key Women’s World Cup problem USA’s narrow escape spells the end of Women’s World Cup dominance

Young England fans have been reacting to the team’s World Cup win against China on Tuesday, 1 August. In the video, young fans are asked how they feel about the team’s 6-1 victory in their latest World Cup match. “I’m very happy for them. I think it’s good we scored lots of goals,” said one young fan. Another one said: “The match was excellent. Lauren James was definitely really great”. There were concerns over the Lionesses’ chances to win with the absence of Keira Walsh, who did not play due to a knee injury. But those fears have been put to rest with an emphatic performance.

Conor McGregor has taken aim at Justin Gaethje for the second time in a week, after the American played down McGregor’s callout in the wake of UFC 291. Gaethje knocked out Dustin Poirier in the second round on Saturday, avenging a 2018 loss to his compatriot and winning the ‘Baddest Motherf*****’ title. McGregor was apparently unimpressed, however, tweeting after the lightweight fight: “Justin, I’ll slap you around. I KO him one shot. Guarantee it.” Gaethje, 34, dismissed the former dual-weight champion’s callout, referencing the fact that McGregor is currently absent from the United States Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) testing pool. Athletes must be in the pool for six months and return two negative results – and zero positives – in order to fight in the UFC. Although McGregor, 35, has never failed a drug test, Gaethje said: “I’m not going to fight someone on steroids [...] I don’t want to fight someone that’s cheating [...] I think he’s turned me down six times. And usually you have to lose to fight him, so don’t know what’s going on.” McGregor has now hit back, tweeting on Tuesday (1 August): “This guy is about as smart as two planks. “He is a one shotter for me. I snipe him dead in one single shot. And easily.” McGregor has not fought in two years, since suffering a broken leg in his second straight loss to Poirier. The Irishman is set to face Michael Chandler next, but no date, location or weight class has been announced for that bout, with McGregor’s absence from the Usada pool proving problematic. Meanwhile, Gaethje has won two fights in a row since suffering a submission loss to Charles Oliveira in May 2022. The American outpointed Rafael Fiziev in March before knocking out Poirier at UFC 291. Gaethje may yet challenge for the UFC lightweight title – for the third time – in his next fight. Champion Islam Makhachev is scheduled to defend the belt against ex-champion Oliveira in October. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Justin Gaethje reacts to Conor McGregor callout after knocking out Dustin Poirier Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier share wholesome backstage moment after UFC 291 KO Jake Paul vs Nate Diaz live stream: How to watch fight online and on TV this weekend

Errol Spence Jr has doubled down on his intention to move up in weight, following his stoppage loss to Terence Crawford on Saturday. Crawford outclassed Spence en route to a ninth-round win in Las Vegas, becoming undisputed welterweight champion by adding Spence’s unified titles to his WBO belt. At the post-fight press conference at the T-Mobile Arena, Spence expressed his desire to activate a rematch clause. The 33-year-old also suggested that he would prefer the rematch to take place at super-welterweight. And Spence has now updated his Instagram bio to read “154[lbs]”, in reference to his intended new division. “Hell yeah, we got to do it again,” the American said on Saturday (29 July), after suffering the first loss of his professional career. “I’m going to be a lot better, [the rematch] is going to be a lot closer. It’s probably going to be in December, because it’s set before the end of the year.” Crawford, 35, added: “It definitely doesn’t have to be at 147lbs [welterweight]. I’m in the hurt business. One hundred and forty-seven was kind of hard for me, too. “I was already talking about moving up in weight and challenging [Jermell] Charlo, so 154 wouldn’t be out of reach.” American Crawford remained unbeaten with his victory over Spence, in a fight that was five years in the making. What many saw as a 50-50 bout, prior to Saturday, was a one-sided beating by Crawford. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Terence Crawford’s masterclass puts him in conversation to be an all-time great Errol Spence reveals date of Terence Crawford rematch – ‘We got to do it again’ Inside the phone calls that made Spence vs Crawford – a generational fight

Rachel Daly paid tribute to her late father after scoring her first World Cup goal in England’s win against China. The Lionesses won 6-1 to emphatically secure the top spot in Group D and book their place in the knockout rounds, with Daly rounding off the scoring in the 84th minute. After netting her first-ever World Cup goal, the 31-year-old was seen kissing her wristband with the word ‘Dad’ on it. Daly lost her father, Martyn, in September 2021. “He was the reason I played football, going back to birth really,” the England star has previously said. “I don’t think I’d have got that passion for the game if it wasn’t for him.” Read More England fans celebrate at Boxpark as Lionesses score against Denmark in World Cup Gaelic football commentator expertly carries on after spilling water on equipment Watch: Moment Trent Alexander-Arnold told he will be Liverpool’s vice-captain