List of All Articles with Tag 'sport'

Although Ireland lost its top ranking at the Rugby World Cup in France its fans remain very much undefeated at No. 1

Minnesota’s Jordan Nubin went into the Michigan State game with just 15 career rushing attempts

French police have detained nine people and are searching for other suspects after a violent attack on buses carrying the Lyon soccer team and fans

Jonah Heim had played only 13 big league games before being traded for the third time

When Tyson Fury claimed, days out from his fight with Francis Ngannou, that it would be like a “table-tennis champion” facing Novak Djokovic in a Wimbledon final, most fans agreed. And in the end, Fury was right – it’s just he’d gotten the labels the wrong way round. Because in the third round, it was Ngannou who clubbed him with all the might of a Djokovic backhand, and Fury’s miniature bat offered no defence whatsoever. As Fury lay on the canvas, the whites of his eyes bulging and outshining even the most ostentatious points of the evening’s opening ceremony in Riyadh, he was utterly humiliated. There really are no two ways about it. On this night in Saudi Arabia, Fury was hurt, disciplined, and embarrassed by Ngannou – the MMA star, the boxing debutant, one of the biggest underdogs in combat-sports history. The ‘Table Tennis champion of the world’, as Ngannou himself wrote on Instagram after this crossover contest. Even Andy Murray had to chime in, as Fury’s words came back to bite him with a little bit more venom. “How many points would the world No 1 squash player win vs the world No 1 tennis player, in a tennis match and vice versa?” tweeted the... well... former world No 1 tennis player. “I’m thinking close to zero for both… bad look for boxing.” In the strangest sense, it would have been better if Fury had been knocked out. At least then, the WBC heavyweight champion could have pointed to the pre-fight narrative that Ngannou’s only hope was that his notoriously hellacious power would conjure a stupefying moment of magic. Instead, the Cameroonian, 37, outboxed the Briton, 35, for phases of this fight – this boxing match, remember – and in the eyes of many in attendance, including legends of the boxing world, won enough rounds to beat Fury. Ultimately, Ngannou was denied on the scorecards, leading many viewers to echo a sentiment that has long sounded within boxing: that the underdog was never going to get the nod on a night like this, no matter how many rounds he’d seemingly taken. Yet the truth is this: As incomprehensibly well as the former UFC champion fought, this bout was razor close. Fury winning via split decision is not necessarily the wrong call. But the fact that those words even exist in that order on any medium, show that Ngannou was a victor – even if he wasn’t named the victor. Ngannou, in reality, was a victor when he escaped the sand quarry where he worked as a 10-year-old in Cameroon. He was a victor when he left prison in Spain after making it to Europe after numerous failed attempts, and when he honed his martial arts skills to the degree that he could finally leave poverty behind him, in Paris. He was a victor when he won the UFC heavyweight title, and an even greater victor when he boldly relinquished that belt and walked away from a contract that would have made him the highest-paid heavyweight in UFC history. He was a victor when he signed to fight Fury and secured a purse that eclipsed his entire UFC earnings, and he was a victor when he sent the lineal boxing heavyweight champion cascading to the canvas in Saudi Arabia – even if he wasn’t a victor when the scorecards were revealed. Fury, meanwhile, was a loser in victory. His undisputed-title clash with Oleksandr Usyk, with whom he shared the ring after ‘beating’ Ngannou, has been mooted for 23 December. It was seemingly Fury pushing for that date, while rumours suggested that Usyk would not be ready in time. But as they spoke to one another in the ring, it was the Ukrainian who demanded that they square off in two months, while Fury and his promoter distanced themselves from the date in question. Earlier this week, Fury suggested that he would “sue” Usyk if the 36-year-old did not fight him on 23 December. Now, Fury’s side are calling for January or February; so, they can expect to be sued, then? Almost certainly not, is the answer of course; there is no public proof that the date is mentioned in their contract, which is why it was silly for Fury to use it against Usyk in the first place. It is at least understandable that Fury’s team are pushing for the fight to take place next year, though. It is hard to imagine this version of Fury beating Usyk in December or at all, as different as the southpaw’s skills are when compared to Ngannou’s. And what was this version of Fury? Alongside his pre-fight table-tennis jibe, he claimed that he could have beaten Ngannou after drinking “25 pints of beer”. Here’s hoping the post-fight drug test included a breathalyzer. Read More Tyson Fury embarrassed by Francis Ngannou and the punch that changed boxing Usyk: ‘I was shouting advice to Tyson Fury’ during poor showing vs Francis Ngannou Francis Ngannou rematch or Oleksandr Usyk showdown? – Tyson Fury’s future plans Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk date in doubt as Francis Ngannou result changes plan Tyson Fury hints at next steps after Francis Ngannou victory Hearn makes bold Fury vs Joshua prediction after Ngannou win

Bryce Harper could have rocked a Joel Embiid or Jalen Hurts jersey or one of any number of Philadelphia stars when he dressed ahead of Game 7 of the NL Championship Series

Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi has won the toss and sent Sri Lanka in to bat first in a Cricket World Cup game between two teams level on competition points

At Bloomberg Pursuits, we love to travel. And we always want to make sure we’re doing it right.

Lyon head coach Fabio Grosso suffered “serious” facial injuries after the French club’s team bus came under attack from fans throwing projectives before Sunday’s match at Marseille. The league fixture on Sunday evening was called off after the attack on the Lyon bus, which shattered windows as it arrved at Stade Velodrome. Footage on social media appeared to show that stones had been thrown and Grosso and his assistant Raffaele Longo were injured by falling shards of glass. French football’s governing body took the decision to abandon the Ligue 1 fixture after an emergency meeting. Grosso, the former Italy international and World Cup window, was pictured on a stretcher with a bloodied face after the attack. The governing body, Ligue de Football Professionnel, said in a statement: “During the crisis unit meeting following the incidents that occurred outside the Stade Velodrome on the route of its bus, Olympique Lyonnais made known its opposition to taking part in the match given the circumstances.” OL issued a statement strongly condemning the attack, adding that they had initially looked for the match to go ahead, before realising the conditions of Grosso and Longo were "much more serious than expected" and due to the "mental state of the players". The club said: "This Sunday evening, at the entrance to the Velodrome stadium, several individuals violently attacked the Olympique Lyonnais bus, as well as its staff and players. "Six buses of Olympique Lyonnais supporters were also targeted. If in the past, attacks of this type had already taken place, which Olympique Lyonnais has always regretted, this Sunday, October 29, a new step towards the worst was taken. "In fact, several secure windows were broken by heavy projectiles of unknown nature. These same projectiles penetrated the interior of the bus. "Coach Fabio Grosso and his assistant Raffaele Longo were directly hit and seriously injured in the face during this attack. Present with them on the bus, the players and staff were also deeply affected by the violence of this attack, which Olympique Lyonnais strongly condemns. "Initially, as indicated by the OL representative at the start of the crisis meeting, driven by their courage, the coach and the players wanted the meeting to be able to take place. "Subsequently, the OL representative was informed of the physical condition of Fabio Grosso and his assistant Raffaele Longo, much more serious than expected, but also of the negative medical opinions and the mental state of the players. She then announced a change in the situation, indicating the impossibility of playing the match." OL said it was "clearly impossible" for the match to take place, adding that they planned to "file a complaint in the coming days" before calling on the authorities to take action. They concluded: "Finally, Olympique Lyonnais regrets that this type of situation occurs every year in Marseille and invites the authorities to take stock of the seriousness and repetition of this type of incident before an even more serious tragedy occurs." Marseille issued a statement of their own, criticising the perpetrators and wishing 45-year-old Italian Grosso well. "Olympique de Marseille deplores the unacceptable incidents which took place this evening around the Stade Velodrome, against the professional team bus as well as Olympique Lyonnais supporter buses," the OM statement read. "The club wishes a speedy recovery to Lyon coach Fabio Grosso and strongly condemns this violent behaviour which has no place in the world of football and in society. "Due to a handful of mindless people, the game planned for this evening was spoiled and deprived 65,000 supporters of attending a football match. "The club complies with the decision taken by the LFP and remains at its disposal so that the match which was scheduled for this Sunday, October 29, takes place as quickly as possible and under the best possible conditions at the Stade Velodrome." Marseille have a recent history of incidents involving their stadium or supporters, including fans storming the training ground and setting a fire, enforcing a match being postponed in 2021. The Metropolitan Police arrested five people a year ago, “believed to be away supporters,” when Marseille played a Champions League game at Tottenham. And one Marseille fan faced an attempted murder charge over firing a flare into Eintracht Frankfurt fans at a game, seriously injuring one visiting supporter. Lyon manager Grosso scored the winning penalty kick for Italy in the shootout victory over France in the 2006 World Cup final. Both clubs have been under pressure lately. Despite replacing Marcelino with Gennaro Gattuso as coach in September, Marseille remain showing poor form with one win and three losses in their last four league games. Lyon are the only team still winless in the league. Replacing Laurent Blanc with Grosso as coach in September hasn’t paid off for Lyon, as they sit in last place. Includes reporting from PA Read More Lyon manager injured after team bus attacked en route to Marseille match How Wales fared at World Cup and what the future holds for Warren Gatland’s men Major military search begins after kidnapping of Luis Diaz’s father Major military search begins after kidnapping of Luis Diaz’s father On this day in 2008: David Beckham heads to Milan to boost England hopes Mauricio Pochettino insists Chelsea must rebuild trust with supporters

David Beckham joined AC Milan on loan from Los Angeles Galaxy on this day in 2008. The then 33-year-old England midfielder agreed a two-month move to Italy to stay fit during the MLS close-season in the United States. England manager Fabio Capello, who coached Beckham at Real Madrid, said: “Milan have made a good addition. “At Madrid I left him out of the squad because he had signed a contract with Los Angeles but he continued to come on the field and train and I put him back in the team. “He is a very serious lad, very sensible, a professional. People think he is a playboy off the field, it’s not true at all.” The 108-times capped Beckham felt a move to Milan would boost his chances of England selection. Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena said: “His reasons are to stay fit and to make himself available for England, and the only way he can do that is to be training and playing in a good environment. “This, on the part of David, was a purely technical rationale. He wants to continue to play for England and this is one of the ways to do that.” Beckham began his glittering career at Manchester United, where he won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and the Champions League. He joined Real Madrid in 2003 and spent four years in Spain before moving to LA Galaxy. Beckham had two loan spells at Milan and ended his career at Paris St Germain in 2013. Beckham went on to win 115 caps for England, a total only bettered by Peter Shilton and Wayne Rooney. Read More The sporting weekend in pictures Joel Embiid scores 35 points in big win for Philadelphia 76ers Rugby Australia chairman refuses to quit after Eddie Jones resignation

Velus Jones Jr.'s dropped touchdown pass was probably the lowest point of yet another rough game for the Chicago Bears

Logan Ndenbe scored his first goal as a professional to help Sporting Kansas City beat St. Louis 4-1 in a rain-soaked Match 1 of their best-of-3 first-round series in the MLS Cup Playoffs