List of All Articles with Tag 'eppersons'

Paris Saint-Germain defender Lucas Hernandez has been called back to the France squad ahead of a European Championship qualifying match

Former Netherlands goalkeeper Jan Jongbloed, who played in two World Cup finals, has died after a long illness aged 82, according to the Dutch football...

Auburn is set to kick off the Hugh Freeze era against UMass

No. 9 Clemson makes its first visit to Duke in 11 years for a Labor Day season opener in the ACC

“I wouldn’t say I’m a masochist, no.” It’s a reassuring start from Chris Eubank Jr, as he reflects on his defeat by Liam Smith – the first stoppage loss of his career, and an experience he says he enjoyed. “Imagine being in a sport your entire life, thinking you’ve experienced every single thing there is, then something new happens at 33 years old,” the Briton explains to The Independent, as his rematch with Smith looms. “I’ve been fighting since I was 14, and I’ve never been buzzed like that, or had to get up, recuperate, march forward, then go back down again, get back up. I never would’ve imagined that I’d be in a position where a referee could stop a fight for me. “So, it was new, it was crazy. Looking back on it, it was exciting. It was a huge adrenalin rush, probably the same amount of adrenalin as I would get from knocking a guy out.” Twice Eubank Jr hauled himself off the canvas in the fourth round at Manchester’s AO Arena, his body moving almost gelatinously as his brain tried to recentre him, before Victor Loughlin waved off the bout. Eubank Jr will hope he does not have to feel that same canvas against his knees and elbows on Saturday when he returns to the AO Arena for a middleweight rematch with Smith. “It has to change how I think, feel, and how I approach fights,” he says. “You have to learn. I have a new mindset on going into fights and protecting myself at all times, making sure I don’t get hit flush. We have to do everything in our power to make sure we’re never in that position again.” That said, “I feel like I dealt with it well,” Eubank Jr adds. “A lot of fighters... when they get hurt, you see the real side of them. A lot back down, a lot look for ways out. Everyone saw that night, I was ready to go out on my shield. I was ready to die in there. ‘Let’s keep going,’ that’s what I said when the going got tough. I think the fans appreciated seeing that side of me.” Never before had Eubank Jr touched the canvas, let alone been stopped, and once the “excitement” subsided, he was left to deal with a different emotion. “I wasn’t upset, disappointed; I was pissed off,” he recalls. “It wasn’t like I got my ass kicked for three rounds and then got knocked out; I was dominating the fight, then I made a mistake and got caught. I was pissed off at myself, pissed off at the referee for not giving me the chance to continue. Whether he was right or wrong, as a grizzled veteran I don’t feel the need to be saved by a referee. “[But] when I watched the replay back in the changing room, I said to everybody: ‘I’ll take that.’ As in, if I was ever gonna get stopped, that’s the way I’d want it: on my feet, demanding they let me continue. I can accept that, I can sleep at night. I couldn’t sleep at night if I’m getting the 10 count and I can’t get up, or if I’m telling the referee, ‘No, [I can’t continue]’.” As well as mentioning referee Loughlin, Eubank Jr has cited an alleged elbow by Smith as proving decisive in the fight’s final sequence. Still, he maintains that these are not excuses, while Smith, 35, has revelled in his victory. “I enjoyed every bit of it,” Smith told The Independent in July. “It was a great week, I wish I could have that week back, it was a great week.” The Liverpudlian also said the prickly build-up to their first fight existed because the boxers just “wouldn’t get on” in normal life. But Eubank Jr, for his part, says: “Just because I fought him, doesn’t mean I know who he is as a man. He might be a great guy. I don’t know and I don’t need to know, that’s not part of my job; my job is to know who he is as a fighter and exploit that or deal with that. I think he is exploitable, he does get riled up, I can get into his head. I’m not here to be buddies or pals with people, I’m here to take guys out. I’m here to create a legacy, and he’s put a serious bump in that road for me; I need to smoothen it out.” That legacy has always been a complicated one, given the memories that Eubank Jr’s father gave to British boxing fans. Still, its ending is unwritten, and it is still in Eubank Jr’s control – for now. “There’s so many huge fights left for me to have,” he says. “There’s so much left for me to achieve. We have to see if I can do the things I say I can do. First and foremost, I have to beat Liam Smith; it’s not a great legacy if I finish my career with two losses to Liam on my record. That would for sure damage any type of ‘great’ legacy. Knowing that, it’s hugely important that I avenge this loss. I can explain a freak accident – it happens; I can get away with one loss to Liam, I can’t get away with two.” However Eubank Jr’s in-ring endeavours are ultimately judged, one thing seems certain: his personality and words outside the ring will see him remembered as one of the most divisive boxers of his generation. “It’s part of selling a fight, it’s part of beating your opponent,” Eubank Jr says. “You’ve got to win every fight – verbal, mental, physical. I’ve become very good at that over the years. I understand it’s part of the sport if you want to be ‘box office’. The guys that don’t talk, don’t have an opinion or aren’t able to express themselves to the fans and to their opponents, they don’t get airtime or headlines. You need those things to make money, I’ve learnt that from the very beginning, watching my old man. “As I got older, my old man took more and more steps back, and I was able to come forward and be my own personality. Now we’re at a stage where I’m comfortable in every situation. I can read the room very well, I can read my opponents well.” Eubank Jr will hope he has a good read of Smith on Saturday. Watch Smith vs Eubank Jr 2 on Sky Sports Box Office on Saturday 2 September, live from the AO Arena in Manchester Read More Eubank vs Smith 2 live stream: How to watch fight online and on TV this weekend Liam Smith: ‘Chris Eubank Jr is a nightmare – not for me, for other people’ Oleksandr Usyk remains heavyweight champion but where does he go from here? Adam Azim seeks Aram Fanyan ‘demolition’ in grandfather’s memory Who is fighting on Eubank vs Smith 2 undercard this weekend? What time does Eubank vs Smith 2 start this weekend?

With Friday’s 11pm transfer deadline approaching, plenty of Premier League clubs are still looking to do business. Here the PA news agency looks at who still needs what and which deals are on the horizon. Chelsea to splash the cash again? Despite yet another whirlwind transfer window Mauricio Pochettino is still making noises about one last name through the door in attack, with Cole Palmer of Manchester City reportedly on the brink of joining in a £40million deal. That would tip Todd Boehly’s spending over the £1billion mark since buying the club last May, but with the manager having repeatedly stated in recent weeks that no player will not be pursued unless they fit a profile, it is likely that Palmer’s capture would mean the squad is finally to the owners’ satisfaction – for now. United look for reinforcements It looks increasingly likely that Marc Cucurella will bring to an end his relatively brief Stamford Bridge stay with United in negotiations to make him the left-back to solve Erik ten Hag’s problems in that position. Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat, a star of Morocco’s run to the World Cup semi-finals, could also be a late arrival with reports that he is set to undergo a medical at Old Trafford. Ryan Gravenberch of Bayern Munich is an alternative if a deal fails to materialise, but Amrabat is reportedly the club’s favoured option with negotiations at an advanced stage. Spurs aim to replace Harry Kane Conor Gallagher is reportedly Spurs’ main target in the final days of the window, despite the Chelsea midfielder having started every game for Pochettino so far and captaining the team on Tuesday night against AFC Wimbledon. With Kane having departed for Germany, Spurs need a forward and Nottingham Forest’s Brennan Johnson is also reported to be the target of a fresh bid after an offer of £43m was rejected earlier this week. Incoming deals could yet hinge around the departure of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg with a loan move to Atletico Madrid reportedly on the verge of being done. Will Salah stay at Liverpool? Liverpool will hope to keep Mohamed Salah despite the forward’s future at the club hitting the headlines over the last week. Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad have been heavily linked with the Egyptian, but Reds boss Jurgen Klopp has already dismissed any potential idea of him leaving, with the Saudi transfer window shutting on September 20. Klopp’s much advertised rebuild of his team’s midfield might still be in need of a final puzzle piece and Bayern’s Gravenberch could slot in, with a bid reportedly having been lodged with the Bundesliga champions. City to tie up Nunes deal? With a £53m deal understood to have been reached with Wolves for Matheus Nunes, the champions’ incoming business looks like being done, though it also understood that 21-year-old midfielder Tommy Doyle is set to undergo a medical at Molineux to move in the opposite direction for £4.3m. It has also been reported that former West Ham defender Jamal Baptiste, who left the London Stadium when his contract expired earlier in the summer, could join. The 19-year-old could come in to fill a hole in the squad left by the departed Aymeric Laporte. Any other business? Brighton are reportedly in the final stages of agreeing a loan deal for Barcelona forward Ansu Fati with the 20-year-old due to travel on Thursday to complete a season-long move. Joao Palhinha could leave Fulham with the player having been subject of a reported £50m bid from Bayern Munich, though it would be leaving it late in the window for Marco Silva’s side to source a replacement for a player who was key to last season’s success. West Ham have been linked with Juventus midfielder Filip Kostic, the 30-year-old Serbia international reportedly valued at £25m by the Serie A side. Striker Hugo Ekitike of Paris St Germain is also reported to be in talks over a move. Arsenal could still move for a full-back following the injury to summer signing Jurrien Timber and the loan departure of Kieran Tierney, with Benfica’s Alexander Bah and Barcelona’s Eric Garcia both touted. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Man Utd look for new arrivals on deadline day and Liverpool aim to keep Salah The body still feels good enough – Scotland prop WP Nel has no plans to retire Welsh para table tennis pair could face off for ‘golden ticket’ to Paris

New Paris Saint-Germain defender Lucas Hernandez is set to make his first appearance for France since suffering a serious injury at last year's World Cup after being named Thursday in the squad for...

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Breaking down who's playing college football tonight on Thursday, Aug. 31 with a full TV schedule and all of the matchups to kick off Week 1.