List of All Articles with Tag 'eppersons'

The Dutch track star Femke Bol shines with exceptional talent while dating Ben Broeders, the Belgian pole vaulter

Manchester City defender Nathan Ake has extended his contract with the club to 2027, the European and Premier League champions have announced. The Netherlands international has prolonged his previous deal by two years, committing himself to the Etihad Stadium outfit for a further four seasons. Ake was an integral member of Pep Guardiola’s squad during City’s memorable treble-winning 2022-23 campaign, making 41 appearances in all competitions. The 28-year-old said: “This is the best club in the world, I have no doubts about that. Being a Manchester City player makes me incredibly proud every single day. “It’s a football club that expects excellence in every area, which makes for the perfect environment to improve. It drives me on and makes me better. I am at the stage of my career where I want to keep developing and I can definitely do that here. “Pep is the best manager in football – a genius who has made me see the game differently – so to be able to work with him for longer is a real privilege. I am so grateful to him for everything he has done for me, both personally and professionally.” The former Chelsea player joined City in a £41million deal from Bournemouth three years ago. It’s great news for this football club that he is extending his time with us. Txiki Begiristain He initially had to wait for his opportunity but came of age last term, proving a reliable performer at both centre-back and left-back. Director of football Txiki Begiristain said: “We have been delighted with Nathan’s development, so it’s great news for this football club that he is extending his time with us. “There is no doubt he was a very important part of our treble success last season, but I believe he can be even better.”

Norway will be without star striker Ada Hegerberg for their must-win Women's World Cup clash with the Philippines on Sunday because of...

Errol Spence Jr knew this time would be different. For the best part of five years, fans had debated what a fight between the two best welterweights of their generation would look like. Promoters had spoken in public and in private about whether fans would get a look at that fight at all. On more than one occasion, the contest seemed to be within grasp before drifting out of reach. But when Terence Crawford texted him, Spence Jr knew this time would be different. “I think it really took us just getting on the phone, and talking to each other,” Spence told The Independent over Zoom, a week out from Saturday’s fight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. “It took us relaying different messages to each other about the negotiations, and basically me just giving him stuff that he wanted to make the fight happen. I didn’t really want much. The big obstacles were the [purse] split and the ring walk.” Such obstacles could not have been overcome without Spence and his fellow American sharing a mutual respect, both fighters told The Independent, with Crawford saying on a call with other reporters: “You’ve got a lot of people that put on a little circus act and start going about things the wrong way – being disrespectful, taking it to another level that it doesn’t need to be taken to. Sometimes, you can’t come back from that.” There was no such problem when Crawford, 35, and Spence, 33, picked up the phone, initially bypassing promoters, agents and handlers to try to hash out a deal for a historic fight – one between two unbeaten title holders, to crown an undisputed welterweight champion. “There’s definitely a respect between us, I respect him a lot,” Spence acknowledged, while Crawford said: “It was never nothing [antagonistic], it was all business and respect [on the phone]. “I hit him up on 1 January,” Crawford added. “I sent him a text, just telling him that we need to actually fight, to make history. He was in agreement about us fighting. And at that particular time, I reached out to [promoter] Al Haymon and started back up the conversation. Errol got back on a phone call and started talking about the structure of the fight, the deal. That’s how the fight was made.” “The conversations were just us talking about what was going on with the negotiations, and seeing if we could get to the middle of it – the meat of it,” Spence explained. “Basically there was some stuff that he wanted, which me and my team didn’t agree to [at first].” Eventually, however, agreements were reached. It has been a year of mixed results in terms of talks over marquee fights. Tyson Fury’s prospective clash with Oleksandr Usyk collapsed, despite the latter agreeing to a 70-30 purse split in the Briton’s favour. The Ukrainian made that concession in spite of holding three of the four major heavyweight belts, compared to Fury’s one, and holding an unbeaten record like his potential opponent. A long-awaited bout between Fury and compatriot Anthony Joshua also crashed and burned before it got off the ground, and not for the first time. However, a highly-anticipated showdown between Gervonta “Tank” Davis and Ryan Garcia did materialise, as did huge title fights between Vasiliy Lomachenko and Devin Haney and Josh Taylor and Teofimo Lopez. So, should more fighters take the approach that Spence and Crawford did? “If they’re mature enough, they definitely need to get on the phone with each other and talk,” Spence said. “But I don’t know if they’re as level-headed as me and Terence are, talking and having disagreements but trying to make the fight happen. You’ve got to have a level head to talk to another fighter and just come up with the same scenario. [It was me] talking to my people, and then at some points we had my team and his team, himself and myself. We were always on a call with each other, trying to figure out how to make the fight happen.” Crawford then told The Independent: “If you have two grown men that are willing to set aside their pride and put the hype to the side and come together and both want the same thing, then yes,” before telling another reporter: “I can’t speak on other people’s situations, because I’m not the one trying to make the fight happen with them, but boxers are the ones in charge. “Once a fighter realises that, the advisers, promoters and managers go to work. They’ve got to give the fighter what he wants. You’ve had two cases recently: ‘Tank’ and Garcia wanted to fight each other, and they made sure that deal got done, just like you have Terence Crawford and Errol Spence wanting to fight each other. We both went to our people and got the fight done, so it all comes down to the fighters at the end of the day. “Yeah, our handlers want to look out for our best interests and make sure we make the best business decision at the right time, but it’s up to us as fighters to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’. There’s a lot of fighters that can say, ‘No, I don’t wanna fight this guy; I want him, give me him,’ and if the opposing fighter is saying the same thing, there’s nothing anyone can do but to make the fight happen.” And now, one of the most-anticipated fights of a generation will happen, when Spence carries the WBC, WBA and IBF welterweight titles into the T-Mobile Arena, while Crawford brings the WBO belt. “I definitely think it’s something that would’ve been hanging over our heads for our whole careers, if we didn’t make this fight happen,” Spence admitted. “It’d have been tied to us all the time. ‘Man, Spence, I wish he would’ve fought Terence.’ Or, ‘Man, I wish Terence would’ve fought Spence.’ It would’ve been that super-fight that didn’t happen. “I feel like it’s definitely gonna be on another level. This is a super-fight, people have it as a 50-50 fight. [It will crown] the undisputed welterweight champion, we’re both undefeated. The accolades that he has, the accolades that I have...” Meanwhile, Crawford said: “It means a lot, given the history that’s on the line, but at the same time there are a lot of other fights in the history of boxing that didn’t happen. So, if the fight with Errol didn’t happen, I wouldn’t be the first and I wouldn’t be the last to have people talking about them like that. It’d just be another fight on the list.” Both boxers are grounded as the fight approaches, even while acknowledging that it could define both men’s careers. Spence told The Independent: “Just because it’s a big fight, that doesn’t mean it isn’t just another day in the ring for me. I’ve been treating it as that, as far as my emotions and how I feel, but I’ve definitely been training hard and focused a lot more on my craft, my abilities, and my training. But when I wake up on the day of the fight, it’s gonna be another day in the office. [My first thought] will probably be what I’m gonna eat!” “This fight week feels the same,” Crawford said. “It definitely feels bigger, but at the same time, in my mind it’s no different. I’m already pound-for-pound No 1, I feel. In my eyes, a win over Errol Spence Jr would just put me as undisputed, pound-for-pound No 1 in everybody’s eyes. There would be no debate.” On Saturday, a maximum of 12 rounds will end five years of debate. And all thanks to one text. TNT Sports Box Office will show Errol Spence Jr vs Terence Crawford exclusively live on Saturday 29 July. Learn more at https://www.tntsports.co.uk/boxoffice Read More Spence vs Crawford live stream: How to watch fight online and on TV this weekend The factor that could decide Spence vs Crawford super-fight Terence Crawford wins coin toss with Errol Spence Jr to make key fight-night decision Exclusive look at Terence Crawford’s ring gear ahead of clash with Errol Spence Jr The meaning behind Terence Crawford’s ring gear in Errol Spence Jr clash Terence Crawford wins coin toss with Errol Spence to make key fight-night decision

Fans at the Women's World Cup are seeing some greats of the game slow down while younger talents put on a show

The activity equivalent to a 2.3 Magnitude quake beats a previous record set by fans celebrating a touchdown.

Terence Crawford's ring gear has been revealed ahead of his titanic bout with Errol Spence Jr this Saturday. Spence likes to refer to himself as the "Big Fish", and Crawford is taking no prisoners with his outfit. The ring gear features hooks and other fishing-related imagery. “I was able to do a lot of research into deep-sea fishing, the fabrics and hardware they use, and I implement that into the design", said Imtayaz Qassim of Bespoke Boxing, where Crawford’s outfit was designed and created. The two professional boxers are set to clash to crown an undisputed welterweight champion in their match. These two Americans are both currently unbeaten, but Crawford's WBO belt is on the line, as are Spence's WBC, WBA and IBF titles. Read More Moment Biden forgets to sign executive order in Maine Distressing moment dachshund stolen from Essex home by masked thief Driver Snapchats speeding at 80mph before killing passenger in crash

The world’s most expensive female soccer player could be out of the Women’s World Cup

Alen Stajcic warned his Philippines team to be wary of "wounded" Norway when they clash at the Women's World Cup on Sunday with qualification for...

France are under pressure already at the Women’s World Cup after their opening draw against Jamaica, and are in need of a result against Brazil in one of the most highly anticipated fixtures of the group stages. Les Bleues were held to a shock goalless draw by the Reggae Girlz in the opening match of Group F, while Brazil turned on the style as they thrashed Panama and Ary Borges scored a hat-trick in the 4-0 win. Jamaica will be without star striker Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw against Panama after she was sent off late on against the French, but a place in the last-16 would be within reach should Brazil make it two wins out of two. Elsewhere at the Women’s World Cup, Sweden and Italy have the chance to book their spot in the knockout stages as they meet in Group F. A victory for either side would be enough, following the draw between Argentina and South Africa on Friday. Meanwhile, Australia captain Sam Kerr confirmed she will be available for the Matildas’ final group stage encounter with Canada after missing their first two Women’s World Cup matches with a calf injury. Follow the latest World Cup scores, updates and news in today’s live blog: Read More Women’s World Cup TV schedule: How to watch every match today Who do England women play next? World Cup fixtures and route to the final Women’s football world rankings: Who could take No 1 at the World Cup?

New Zealand went from Women’s World Cup darlings to the brink of elimination in a five-day span and its shot at advancing into the knockout round hinges on its Sunday match against Switzerland

Captain Sam Kerr declared herself available on Saturday for Australia's must-win clash with Olympic champions Canada in a major boost for...