List of All Articles with Tag 'eppersons'

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

Former Sunderland and Ipswich striker Marcus Stewart feels both his old clubs can put themselves in the Sky Bet Championship promotion picture this season. The Mackems reached the play-offs last season, losing out to Luton, while Ipswich came up from Sky Bet League One. Sunderland host Ipswich at the Stadium of Light for their Championship opener on Sunday, with the televised fixture set to support the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation. A programme of activity is scheduled to raise awareness for motor neurone disease and help generate donations, including a pre-match talk-in with Stewart, whose own diagnosis came after 12 months of testing and was revealed in September last year. Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray was Stewart’s captain when at Ipswich, while another former Town team-mate Mark Venus is assistant head coach. Stewart played for Sunderland between 2002 and 2005, helping Mick McCarthy’s side win promotion to the Premier League in his final season. It is a target which Stewart feels Mowbray’s men can also now have in their sights once again. “Sunderland pushed on last year and got into the play-offs, probably unexpectedly with a young squad,” Stewart told the PA news agency. “They have added a bit of experience with summer signings like Bradley Dack, so I expect them to be up there again. “It is probably a different kind of pressure they have now, because that expectancy level has gone up a bit. “The fans there are passionate, ruthless and brilliant all in one. If you are not pulling your weight, they will let you know about it – but on the flip side, if you are doing brilliant, then they are the best fans in the world. “You have got to be able to handle the pressure up there, the good and bad times which every player gets during the season. “But Tony is a calm man and will take everything as it comes. He will not get too excited and not get too down when results are going well or bad for them, which will happen during the season. “It is just how to get through those spells (of bad results), which will happen, and then promotion is on the cards.” Ipswich have also supported Stewart’s fundraising efforts, making donations from a new kit launch in July, which was the inspired by Suffolk club’s shirt in the 1999-2000 promotion campaign. After winning the Championship play-off final at Wembley, Stewart’s 19 Premier League goals helped George Burley’s team finish fifth and secure qualification for the UEFA Cup. Former Town frontman Stewart, 50, feels the Tractor Boys can use momentum from a fine League One campaign under Kieran McKenna to make an impact on their long-awaited return to the second tier. “Ipswich are riding a crest of a wave at the moment, there is a feel-good factor about the place,” said Stewart. “How they are doing things there from the top can only benefit the club and they have a good young manager who got promotion in his first full season. “Like most clubs, you want to get off to that good start. It is all about being in touch and then the recruitment come January will be really important.” MND is a degenerative condition which affects the brain and nervous system. It is a life-shortening disease and there is no cure. Although it will progress, symptoms can be managed to achieve the best possible quality of life. Currently head of player development at National League South club Yeovil, another of his former clubs, Stewart, supported by his wife Louise, hopes to continue to front charity campaigns while he is able. In May, Bristol Rovers hosted a charity match between a South West Legends side and an All-Star XI, with the weekend’s events raising a grand total of just over £110,000. Stewart’s family and friends will also be undertaking the #TEAMSTEWART254 Cycle Challenge in October, which will see fundraisers travel over 900km to seven of his former clubs. Stewart has lost grip in his left hand since being diagnosed and has a weak arm, but continues to hold a positive outlook. “I am not a person who likes to be in the limelight to be honest, but I have embraced it,” said Stewart, who also had spells at both Bristol clubs as well as Huddersfield and Exeter, playing in every tier of the English professional game. “With the start of a new season it is the start of a new campaign to raise awareness and a new opportunity for clubs to step up, like Sunderland and Ipswich have.” :: The Stewart family are raising funds for the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation at justgiving.com/team/teamstewart254. Donations can also be made by texting DRMND followed by the amount to 70085.

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

What the papers say Manchester United have joined Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool in the race for Belgian midfielder Romeo Lavia, according to the Independent. Liverpool had their bid rejected by Southampton and United look like they will swoop in to try and lure the 19-year-old to the club. Aston Villa look to be interested in American Tyler Adams and are willing to reach Leeds’ £25million release clause to free up the 24-year-old midfielder, the Daily Mail says. The Telegraph reports that Bournemouth look like the favourites to sign Bristol City midfielder Alex Scott, beating Wolves to matching the £25m transfer fee. Turkish club Besiktas are in talks with former Arsenal and Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, whose contract with Liverpool expired this summer, according to the Daily Express. The Manchester Evening News says the confirmation of Manchester United’s big-money capture of Rasmus Hojlund could be delayed after the 20-year-old arrived in the north west later than planned. Social media round-up Players to watch Kylian Mbappe: The 24-year-old told Chelsea he would be open to playing with them but only for one year and only if they agree to let him move to Real Madrid on a free transfer next year, Spanish media outlet Sport says. Gianluca Scamacca: The Evening Standard reports that Inter Milan are raising their bid to £21.5m for the West Ham striker.

Nate Burleson's absence from 'CBS Mornings' sparks speculations of a football game break as Ed O'Keefe fills in as guest co-host

There was a 'very interesting and attractive offer' for Nate Diaz to fight Logan Paul, but the former MMA fighter lost interest in it when WWE became involved

Jake Paul, the 'Problem Child' takes on MMA veteran Nate Diaz in a highly anticipated boxing match on August 5 in Dallas, Texas

Mookie Betts hit his 29th homer, Freddie Freeman went 3 for 4 and the Los Angeles Dodgers routed the Oakland Athletics 10-1

Coach Eddie Jones on Thursday said the Wallabies are "remodelling" with young players, believing youthful vigour can halt a slump with just five weeks to...

Lionel Messi made it five goals in three appearances for Inter Miami as he scored twice in a 3-1 win over Orlando City in the...

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Former Miami Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas enjoyed a 13-year NFL career that included seven Pro Bowls, five All-Pro selections and the fifth-most tackles in NFL history, and in 2023, his 10th year of eligibility, Thomas will be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday