List of All Articles with Tag 'sport'

Undisputed world lightweight champion Katie Taylor has questioned whether women's boxing has the “strength and depth” to move to three-minute rounds. The Irish fighter will try to avenge the only loss of her professional career when she faces Chantelle Cameron this month in a rematch of their fight in May. Some top fighters led by Amanda Serrano have been pushing for the choice to switch from the traditional 10 two-minute rounds to 12 three-minute rounds for title fights. Cameron signed on to Serrano's statement a month ago calling for the change, arguing that it would put women on par with men and allow them to earn more money. "I haven't really got any preference either way," the 37-year-old Taylor said. "The two-minute rounds are a real fast pace. They say the three-minute rounds will cause more knockouts, but I don't think that's true. "I don't know if women's boxing has the strength and depth to have three-minute rounds really. For me, I really don't care whether it's a two or three-minute round. I spar three-minute rounds all the time. There's pros and cons to both really." The Taylor vs Cameron fight — on 25 November at the 3Arena in Dublin — will be 10 two-minute rounds like the first one. Serrano defended her world featherweight belts two weeks ago with a unanimous decision over Danila Ramos in 12 three-minute rounds in Orlando, describing two-minute rounds as "a sprint" and with the extra minute "we get to showcase our skills." Taylor edged Serrano in a thriller at a sold-out Madison Square Garden in May 2022. It was the first time a women's boxing match headlined at the famous venue. A Taylor vs Serrano rematch was in the works but the Puerto Rican fighter pulled out because of injury. Cameron then stepped in and ruined Taylor's homecoming, the judges scoring the Dublin fight 96-94, 96-94 and 95-95 for the Englishwoman. Taylor (22-1) again is challenging for Cameron's world super-lightweight belts at 140 pounds. The 32-year-old Cameron is 18-0. For Taylor, the 2012 Olympic gold medalist, it was her first loss at any level since being eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016. "Mentally and physically I feel a lot better going into this one," said Taylor, who lives and trains in Connecticut. "I just had a bit of a flat night, just a flat performance. I certainly wasn't myself on the night, and I think everybody who watched the fight could see that." Cameron threw nearly twice as many punches as Taylor in the first fight. AP Read More Katie Taylor ‘aware of what is at stake’ in Chantelle Cameron rematch Amanda Serrano revels in ‘historic night’ for women’s boxing Eddie Hearn makes surprising revelation about Anthony Joshua coach Eddie Hearn makes surprising revelation about Anthony Joshua coach What is an exhibition fight and how is it different to a professional bout? The Independent’s pound-for-pound boxing rankings

Undisputed world lightweight champion Katie Taylor has questioned whether women’s boxing has the “strength and depth” to move to three-minute rounds

Villarreal has parted ways with its second coach of the season by announcing the departure of José “Pacheta” Rojo

Mauricio Pochettino said Chelsea’s victory at Tottenham on Monday proved he has matured as a manager in the years since his first spell in England. A frenetic 4-1 win in north London came amid two red cards for the hosts as emotions threatened to spill over in a manner reminiscent of the so-called ‘Battle of Stamford Bridge’, when Pochettino’s Spurs lost their discipline and a two-goal lead to concede the 2015-16 Premier League title. After that game, which confirmed Leicester as champions, Pochettino was criticised for allowing his players to lose control of the match and let slip the chance of claiming a first league title since 1961. Yet on Monday it was his former side whose discipline failed them, with Spurs losing Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie either side of half-time before Chelsea capitalised with a late hat-trick from striker Nicolas Jackson to seal a third straight away win in the league. Pochettino has previously said he believes he is calmer now than when he was appointed at Southampton in 2013, and that composure was evident amongst his players as they kept their heads on a wild night at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. “I learned a lot from the ‘Battle of the Bridge’ seven years ago,” he said ahead of his side’s home meeting with Manchester City on Sunday. “I got criticised a lot after this game. Too many people said it was may fault because I didn’t give or teach the players how to behave and to control emotion in a game like this. I learned a lot. “What I can say is the type of game (on Monday) is about tactics, it’s about form, it’s about the approach of the game and how you prepare. Also, it’s about how you control emotions. “One thing we can say my players managed really well is the control of emotions. We played 10-12 minutes not in a good way, not how we wanted. When we conceded the goal it was a big hit for us, we were in shock. “After this moment we started to control the game. At 11 v 11 we created chances, had a goal disallowed. Then we forced them to make mistakes. We played 120 minutes. I think we deserved to win. It was crazy but fair.” The game was notable for its total of 21 added minutes after there were nine VAR checks, which led to both red cards being shown as well as a penalty for Chelsea and five disallowed goals. Pochettino defended the role of the video referee and said that Spurs could have no complaints about the result. “Tell me one (VAR) decision that was not fair,” he said. “There was even I think a few decisions more when Tottenham were lucky. You cannot say VAR was (unfair) for us. When you watch the game again, Tottenham were very lucky to finish with only two less than us. “When there is emotion on the pitch, it’s difficult to control from the outside (as a coach). I was guilty seven years ago. But Ange (Postecoglou) wasn’t guilty (on Monday). “I learned. I watched the game again. It’s important to see how the players keep calm in a tough moment and to force (Tottenham) to make a mistake, then to win the game. That was the option.” Chelsea will be looking for their fourth win in six games in the league when they face Pep Guardiola’s champions on Sunday. Pochettino added: “Chelsea are never underdogs. The feeling is always that you are Chelsea. When you say Chelsea, it’s impossible (to feel the underdog). The history is there. We cannot go and say we are the victim of the day. We need to try to be protagonists with our personality, with our character. “We went to Tottenham and finished the game 4-1. It shows that we have character and talent to compete and to fight with the best clubs in England. Now it’s about building that confidence that for sure will help us to be more competitive.” Read More John Stones out of Chelsea clash but injury not as bad as feared Andy Murray and coach Ivan Lendl split for a third time Mikel Arteta warns Aaron Ramsdale not to rush decision over Arsenal future Dawid Malan: I want to play on but I don’t know what my England future holds Evan Ferguson signs new Brighton contract until 2029 Football rumours: Tottenham identify Lloyd Kelly as January transfer target

Manchester City defender John Stones will miss the champions’ Premier League trip to Chelsea on Sunday, manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed. The England international was forced off at half-time of Tuesday’s Champions League win over Young Boys with a muscular problem. Guardiola has revealed the injury is not as bad as feared but there is no prospect of him travelling to Stamford Bridge. It is also not clear whether Stones will be available for England this month or the November 25 clash with Liverpool. Guardiola said at a press conference: “He is injured. He is not ready (for Sunday) and we will see when we come back from the international break. “The doctor said to me it’s not as bad (as first thought) but I still don’t know when he’s going to be fit.” Guardiola also delivered a positive update on Kevin De Bruyne, who could return before the end of the year, but he will not rush the Belgium playmaker back into action. De Bruyne has been sidelined since undergoing surgery on a hamstring injury in August. Guardiola said: “I spoke to him two days ago and he said, ‘I feel really good’ but still he is not training with us and not running much. Kevin’s was a tough injury with surgery, so step by step. Pep Guardiola “I don’t know but it is the last time (period) before he comes back to train with us. “I would like to say in two weeks or three weeks, but these type of injuries are better not to put any pressure on. When he feels good, the doctors and physios say go to the next step, then he is coming. Like John Stones, recover without pressure. “Kevin’s was a tough injury with surgery, so step by step.” City head to Chelsea fresh from securing their place in the Champions League knockout stages for an 11th successive year. The holders have hardly been troubled as they have cruised through with two games to spare – an achievement that, compared to last year’s treble success, seems relatively modest. Guardiola, however, insists it is something that should be savoured because – as this week’s opponents Chelsea, the 2021 European champions, have discovered – the good times will not last indefinitely. He said: “I can’t make any comment about Chelsea because I’m not there but always we remind ourselves. Last Tuesday we qualified and I told the players to celebrate because, maybe one day, if we stop doing what we do or the opponents are better than us, we will not be there. “What we have done is the past. If we are not doing well we will go down, and the down may never end. You can go down more. “So, take perspective, be calm and (enjoy) good moments. For every team around the world, not just the fact that we are Man City and the last years have been good, (it does not mean) it will happen in the future. “If you are aware of that, you are closer to still being consistent in Europe for many years.” Read More Mauricio Pochettino learned lessons from famous battle to mature as manager Andy Murray and coach Ivan Lendl split for a third time Mikel Arteta warns Aaron Ramsdale not to rush decision over Arsenal future Dawid Malan: I want to play on but I don’t know what my England future holds Evan Ferguson signs new Brighton contract until 2029 Football rumours: Tottenham identify Lloyd Kelly as January transfer target

Manchester City face an anxious wait to see if John Stones will be fit to face Liverpool later this month. The England defender, who has only made six appearances in an injury-hit season, came off at half-time in Tuesday’s win over Young Boys of Bern and manager Pep Guardiola has ruled him out of Sunday’s trip to Chelsea. Guardiola said Stones’ muscular problem is not as serious as he initially feared but is unsure when the 29-year-old will be fit again and he has a race against time to be available for the clash with Liverpool on 25 November. The City manager explained: “He’s not ready for tomorrow [game against Chelsea on Sunday] and we will see when we come back from the international break. I don’t know. “The doctor said to me it’s not as bad [as feared] but I still don’t know. I want to create tempo. When he’s going to be fit again, he’s going to come back.” Stones was reinvented last season to operate partly as a midfielder in addition to his duties at the back and Guardiola believes summer signing Josko Gvardiol is not yet ready to take up a similar role, coming forward in possession. “Still he didn’t prove it in training sessions and drills that we do to see how you move in more central positions,” he said. “Still I didn’t see it. Maybe in future, because he is still young and at the beginning we didn’t expect John could do that but he can do that because he has been here eight years.” Rico Lewis is able to play both as a full-back and in midfield and Guardiola believes that, were he bigger, the teenager would be one of the outstanding footballers in the division. He added: “If he was a little bit taller, we would consider him one of the best players in the Premier League. He is so small but he is an exceptional player.” Kevin de Bruyne, who has been out since August and has undergone an operation on his injured hamstring, has had a further scan this week. The Belgian is expected to be out for the rest of the calendar year but Guardiola has not put a timeframe on his comeback. He added: “I spoke with him two days ago and he said he feels really good but it’s not necessary to take bad decisions or wrong decisions in coming back early and getting injured again. Kevin was a tough injury, a surgery.” Read More Jeremy Doku’s brilliance shows Man City’s edge and Chelsea’s key problem Rumours: Man United could sell duo in January and Newcastle target midfield pair How can Man United qualify in Champions League?

Mikel Arteta has warned Aaron Ramsdale not to rush any decision over his future after England manager Gareth Southgate told the goalkeeper he could not promise him a place at Euro 2024 if he remains on the bench at Arsenal. Ramsdale has been called up by Southgate for England’s final two qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia and will be aiming to add to his four senior caps. However, the 25-year-old has been ousted as Arsenal’s first-choice goalkeeper since the arrival of David Raya from Brentford and has played just twice since the September international break. Speaking after naming his latest squad, Southgate said of Ramsdale’s plight: “I think longer-term, we’re just going to have to see how it is. I had that conversation with him in the last camp. “He’s still battling to be the number one at Arsenal, and his profile and the way he can use the ball with his feet, we like, we think that’s important. “But there is a reality as a keeper, if we get to March and he’s six months without playing regularly, then I’m never going to promise things that I couldn’t guarantee delivering.” Arteta has not spoken to Ramsdale about the issue but warned against a January move in a quest to find first-team football. So making early decisions, in my experience, is not something good at all Mikel Arteta “First of all my door is open to speak about any player,” he said. “We just want the best for our players and we try to do that, and we know the influence that we can have – sometimes positively, sometimes not so positively, towards them. “We will always try to do our best to help them, but this is a team sport that needs 24 players that have to fulfil a role. And the role that you have in August, it might be very different to the one you have in March. “So making early decisions, in my experience, is not something good at all and as well because the team has certain needs that has to be accomplished. And in order to do that you cannot do it with six, 10 or 14 players. It is impossible. So you need everyone and Aaron has a really important role in the team. “I have no messages for any clubs (who may look to sign Ramsdale). I can talk a little bit about my players, how much I like my players, how much I like Aaron and that we want Aaron with us, that’s for sure.” Ramsdale is likely to once again be among the substitutes as Arsenal host Burnley on Saturday night looking to get back to winning ways in the Premier League. Arteta, though, could be without as many as eight first-team players for the visit of the Clarets as captain Martin Odegaard is “still racing” to be fit, while Bukayo Saka and Takehiro Tomiyasu both came off injured in Wednesday’s Champions League win over Sevilla. Forwards Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah could miss out with hamstring and ankle injuries respectively, while Thomas Partey, Emile Smith Rowe and Jurrien Timber are definite absentees. “Some of the injuries that we had, they are some bad luck, some of them have been long-term injuries with some special players and when we didn’t have a lot of depth,” he added. “We can talk about the depth, but after you have to talk about the specific positions or certain units where we are a little bit shorter. “But it is the challenge of the season and other people have to step up, and that as well is a good test for the team – how we take those moments and how we actually respond to that. So far, the team is doing well.” Read More Erik ten Hag ‘not happy’ with Marcus Rashford’s form at Manchester United Dawid Malan: I want to play on but I don’t know what my England future holds Evan Ferguson signs new Brighton contract until 2029 Football rumours: Tottenham identify Lloyd Kelly as January transfer target On this day in 2014: David Moyes appointed Real Sociedad head coach Chicago Bears edge out Carolina Panthers in three-point win

Fans have pushed the Fisher-Price Corn Popper into the National Toy Hall of Fame

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has admitted he is “not happy” with Marcus Rashford’s form but he remains convinced the England forward will get back to his best this season. Rashford’s disputed red card in Copenhagen on Wednesday night contributed to a dramatic United collapse as they blew a 2-0 lead and conceded two goals in the final 10 minutes to lose 4-3, dropping to the bottom of Group A in the Champions League with two games left. Gareth Southgate kept faith with Rashford by naming him in his England squad on Thursday, but a player who scored 30 goals for United in all competitions last season has only one from 15 appearances this term. “I think he’s not happy, we are not happy,” Ten Hag said of Rashford’s performances. “We have an expectation. He has high expectations from himself. In this moment he is not in the best form but I know he will be back. “I know when the team is playing better he will play better. He will go and score goals. I am confident of that. This season he will improve and score goals. He is totally in the team, he is aware of everything so I think he will be back on track. “It can happen very quickly and sometimes you only need one game. I’m sure he will get there.” The defeat in Copenhagen was United’s ninth from 17 games in all competitions so far, and they go into Saturday’s match at home to Luton eighth in the Premier League. Asked if results had been acceptable this term, Ten Hag said: “It is about the end result and we have to win every game, so we are very disappointed to lose any game but finally it is about the end result. “It is always about being in a process, thinking about a process and then it’s about managing the process. That’s the only thing I focus on. “I think we have often proved we can, like at Fulham, like Brentford, that we can overcome big setbacks.” United’s midweek defeat came at a cost too as Jonny Evans limped off early after pulling up off the ball. The 35-year-old, who has been a regular starter in recent weeks, has been ruled out of the Luton match and may now also miss next week’s Euro 2024 qualifiers for Northern Ireland in what would be another blow for Michael O’Neill’s injury-hit squad. “So we don’t have in this moment the full assessment and all the details but tomorrow he is out,” Ten Hag said. “I can’t say (if he can go away with Northern Ireland) as we don’t have the finished assessment.” Mason Mount has been another player in the spotlight, with the 24-year-old struggling to make an impression since his £55million summer switch from Chelsea. Mount made his first start since early October in the 3-0 Carabao Cup defeat to Newcastle on November 1 but was back on the bench against Fulham and Copenhagen, with questions being asked about his role in the side. However, Ten Hag said there had been no change in his expectations of the player. “It hasn’t changed at all,” Ten Hag said. “He started the season and then he got injured. It’s the worst moment for a new player to get injured because it stops the integration process. That was definitely a setback for us all and for him now he has to fight to get his place back.” Read More Dawid Malan: I want to play on but I don’t know what my England future holds Evan Ferguson signs new Brighton contract until 2029 Football rumours: Tottenham identify Lloyd Kelly as January transfer target On this day in 2014: David Moyes appointed Real Sociedad head coach Chicago Bears edge out Carolina Panthers in three-point win Unai Emery acknowledges good fortune opened the door for Villa’s victory

Like nearly 20 million other Americans last Sunday, Aaron Klein was watching the Buffalo Bills go down against

Bill Belichick was in an unusually upbeat mood as he hoped his New England Patriots team could enjoy the experience of playing against the Indianapolis Colts in Germany

In one of Europe’s biggest three-horse races, an unexpected fourth leads the way. Where usually Barcelona, Real Madrid and, on sporadic occasions, Atletico Madrid reside, there’s an altogether less-expected club sitting top of LaLiga after a third of the campaign – a free-scoring, attack-minded team who spent a net of barely £4m in the summer, have a stadium capacity of under 15,000 and whose best-ever season in LaLiga to date saw them finish 10th. Welcome to Girona FC. The story of their rise is a tale in itself, but their opening 12 games of this campaign might yet make for the stuff of local legend. As recently as 1999 the club was playing in the Catalan regional leagues, the fifth tier of Spanish football, but after achieving their first-ever top-flight campaign in 2017-18 and surviving for a second, they returned to LaLiga for 2022-23 and ended 10th last year – just as they did five years earlier, in fact. There appears to be no danger of season four emulating season two, though. Where then they were relegated, this term they top the table, two points ahead of Real Madrid, four clear of champions Barcelona and a full six ahead of Atletico. Between Girona and fifth is a massive 10 points, after just a dozen matches. Masterminding this unexpected rise is head coach Michel Sanchez Munoz, better known just as Michel, a former Rayo Vallecano and Real Murcia player who has been in the dugout at Estadi Montilivi since 2021. Michel has the team playing offensive football – they’ve not only won more games than anyone this term, they’ve also outscored everyone in LaLiga– and the manner of it is even more impressive given the turnover of the squad: 10 in, three out, another half a dozen loaned away. That new group has been quickly moulded into a cohesive unit with a very identifiable approach to matches, as one of those new arrivals, former Manchester United and Ajax defender Daley Blind, told The Independent. “It’s always difficult to compare managers, each one has his own ID and way of playing. But what stands out is the manager is really clear in how he wants to play football, he has a really clear idea about every game we play and having a real tactical plan,” Blind says on a call. “He tries to give that to the team and make sure we understand the gameplan. “The story he told me before I came to Girona was really intriguing and I can’t say anything other than he did not lie – I got excited and wanted to play here after speaking to him. “You can’t know it for sure beforehand but we’re really happy with how it’s going and it’s always important for a coach to be clear about that.” Blind is happily effusive about Michel’s man management as well as his tactical acumen. Having spent most of his career under the likes of Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, father Danny Blind and others, he’s well placed to talk about who is impressive or otherwise on the coaching ground. And while he won’t directly look at matching up Michel’s attributes to anyone else’s, he makes the point that there’s a real connection between coach and squad. “I don’t want to compare [to others] but, for me, he’s a manager who is human, who connects on a personal level as well. He joins in the rondo [training game of keep-ball] and is part of the guys; at the moment training really starts he’s then really on top of it and not holding back,” the centre-back explains. “He expects every training [session] to be the best but there’s always time for a joke here and there. He has a good connection with every player – that’s very special.” Blind freely admits that his spell in Spain came at the second time of asking. He got the call from Girona last year after leaving Ajax; while considering his next move, Bayern Munich swooped in and he felt he needed to go. This summer, though, he was confident Girona was the right move. While the Dutchman has been a mainstay at the back this term, central midfielder Aleix Garcia has caught the eye, while in attack young winger Savio has been impressive and new centre-forward Artem Dovbyk has not so much hit the ground running as thundering through defences, scoring six in eight starts or one every 109 minutes. Among LaLiga’s best goal-getters, only Gerard Moreno (105), Alvaro Morata (105) and top scorer Jude Bellingham (95) can beat the Ukrainian’s strike rate. So has the fast start by Girona altered their season aims, made them aim higher than might have been the objective at the start of the campaign? Not for Blind, who maintains the “one game at a time” mantra. “For me, it hasn’t changed, you want to finish as high as possible in the league and that’s what we aim for. We’ll see where that is at the end of the season,” he says. “You always be ambitious and have an aim but in the end, you look game by game because the next one is most important and you want the three points. But you see which games are in the next couple of weeks and be ambitious about it. It’s not for me to reveal what we say about [those runs] but it always comes back to the next game.” For Girona, the next game is away on Saturday to Rayo Vallecano, Michel’s oldest and most closely linked club. Beat them and the Catalan club will remain top across the international break, the envy of not just smaller clubs around Europe hoping to improve their own fortunes and challenge higher in the league but of every club in Spain – including the very biggest and the supposed best. Perhaps, just perhaps, they won’t be this year. Watch LaLiga on Viaplay, available in the UK on Sky, Virgin TV, Amazon Prime Video and via streaming Read More Jeremy Doku’s brilliance shows Man City’s edge and Chelsea’s key problem Ange Postecoglu gives injury update for Tottenham star James Maddison Football stadium plunged into darkness after rivals turn off lights during title win Jeremy Doku’s brilliance shows Man City’s edge and Chelsea’s key problem Ange Postecoglu gives injury update for Tottenham star James Maddison Football stadium plunged into darkness after rivals turn off lights during title win