
Tyson Fury eyes third fight with Usyk after Dubois victory
Usyk, 38, remains undefeated and now holds the WBC, WBA, WBO, and IBF belts. His previous victories over Fury—first by split decision in Riyadh last May, then by unanimous decision in Saudi Arabia last December—cemented his status as one of boxing's elite. Fury, however, disputes the outcomes.
The 36-year-old British fighter, who retired after his second loss to Usyk, hinted at a comeback earlier this month. In a recent Instagram video, Fury said, 'Massive shout-out to Oleksandr Usyk. He did a fantastic performance tonight over Daniel Dubois. But he knows there is only one man who can beat him. I did it twice before and the world knows it.'
Fury's promoter, Frank Warren, acknowledged the potential for a third fight but confirmed WBO mandatory challenger Joseph Parker is next in line.
'Tyson has made it clear he would love to fight at Wembley,' Warren said. 'But Joe Parker deserves his shot.' - AFP

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New Straits Times
5 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Defending champions England beat Spain on penalties to win Women's Euro 2025
BASEL, Switzerland: Chloe Kelly converted the decisive kick as England beat Spain 3-1 on penalties to lift the Women's Euro 2025 trophy after Sunday's game had finished 1-1 at the end of extra time, allowing the Lionesses to avenge their defeat in the World Cup final two years ago and retain their continental crown. It looked as though Spain would repeat their victory over England in Sydney in 2023 as they dominated the game at St Jakob-Park in Basel and led through Mariona Caldentey's first-half header. But England did not panic, having already trailed against both Sweden in the quarter-finals and Italy in the semis before finding a way to win. Alessia Russo headed in their equaliser just before the hour mark, and no further goals meant a shoot-out in which Kelly – who once again had a huge impact off the bench – netted the winner. "I was cool, I was composed. I knew I was going to hit the back of the net," Kelly told the BBC of her penalty. It was an agonising way to lose for Spain, but they failed to score three of their spot-kicks, with reigning Ballon d'Or Aitana Bonmati seeing her effort saved. Sarina Wiegman's England are therefore back-to-back European champions, three years after they defeated Germany in extra time at Wembley to win a first women's major tournament. "What a team. What a game. What drama. You dug deep when it mattered most and you've made the nation proud. History makers," British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who was at the match, wrote on X. Defeating Spain helps make up for the pain of losing the World Cup final in 2023, and England's victory also confirms Wiegman's place among the coaching greats. She has now won three consecutive European Championships, having led her native Netherlands to victory in 2017 before doing the same with England three years ago. "We said we can win by any means and that's what we have shown again today. I am so proud of the team and the staff. It is incredible," said Wiegman, whose team lost to France in their first match at the tournament. "Losing your first game and becoming European champions is incredible," she added. Spain fell short in their quest to add a maiden European Championship title to the World Cup they won in Australia. La Roja dominated possession as expected, but ultimately paid the price for not killing the game against an England side who never know when they are beaten. "I am in shock," Bonmati told broadcaster TVE before apologising for failing from the spot. "Football is cruel. Everything seems bad right now, but I think we played the best football during the tournament." England, meanwhile, had been 2-0 down against Sweden in the last eight before scoring twice to force extra time as they eventually won on penalties. Then substitute Michelle Agyemang's 96th-minute equaliser denied Italy in the semi-finals, when Kelly netted the extra-time winner. Wiegman took a gamble here on the fitness of Lauren James which paid off, albeit not quite as planned – having come off with an ankle injury against Italy, the Chelsea winger did not last until half-time and was replaced by Kelly. By that point Spain were in front, scoring when Ona Battle crossed from the right for Caldentey to head in. They had already been in control before that and it felt like England's best hope was for complacency from their opponents. The best example of that came with the game still goalless, when Spain goalkeeper Cata Coll played a careless short pass to Laia Aleixandri in her own area. Lauren Hemp was alive to the opportunity and pounced, but Coll made the save. Yet even at 1-0 England were still in the game, and they took their chance in the 57th minute when Kelly crossed from the left for Russo to level. England – with more fans on their side in the crowd of 34,203 – sensed yet another comeback win was on the cards, and it took Coll's fingertips to keep out a Kelly effort midway. The game continued into extra time, and from there to the gripping tension of penalties, in which Beth Mead's first kick for England was saved after she was forced to retake. Captain Leah Williamson also had her effort stopped by Coll, but Alex Greenwood and Niamh Charles both scored, while Patri Guijarro was the only successful taker for Spain before Kelly won it. — AFP


New Straits Times
a day ago
- New Straits Times
Birthday smash for para shuttler Fareez in Cardiff
KUALA LUMPUR: It was an early birthday present for Fareez Anuar, who won the men's doubles title with Cheah Liek Hou, at the British and Irish Para Badminton International in Cardiff on Saturday. SU5 shuttler Fareez, had a day earlier, stunned two-time Paralympic champion Liek Hou 23-21, 27-25 in the men's singles semi-finals, but lost to Indonesia's Dheva Anrimusthi 21-17, 21-18 in the final. Fareez later teamed up with Liek Hou to beat Dheva-Hafizh Briliansyah 21-14, 25-23 in the doubles final. Fareez, who turned 29 today, said: "It was a special birthday gift for me. Thank you so much to the team who have always supported us," Fareez wrote on his Instagram. Meanwhile, wheelchair player Ikhwan Ramli pulled off a major upset in the WH1 singles final, defeating 2024 Paris Paralympics silver medallist Choi Jung Man of South Korea 21-19, 15-21, 21-15. However, Ikhwan's bid for a second title in Cardiff was denied in the men's doubles final after he and Noor Azwan Noorlan were beaten by Jung Man-Kim Jung Jun 19-21, 21-11, 21-15.


New Straits Times
a day ago
- New Straits Times
James to bolster England squad when they look to make history in Euro final against Spain
BASEL, Switzerland: England coach Sarina Wiegman expects to have winger Lauren James in her squad for today's Euro 2025 final against Spain, boosting her team's quest to build on the legacy they began by winning the continental title three years ago. James, who has 33 goals in nine games for England including a double in their 4-0 group stage victory over the Netherlands, had been doubtful after injuring her ankle in their 2-1 semi-final win over Italy. "We had 23 players on the pitch today, and everyone came through," Wiegman said at Saturday's pre-match press conference. "If everyone recovers well, then we have everyone fit for tomorrow." England defeated Germany 2-1 in extra time in the 2022 final at Wembley, and the beautiful thing about that moment, said captain Leah Williamson, is that the players know they will likely not experience "something like that again in terms of the change, the story and the journey." But it was the start of an excellent run for England, who were edged by Spain in their first appearance in a World Cup final in 2023, and now can become the first England football team to win a title on foreign soil. "You don't want to be a flash in the pan, a memory, and before 2022 we said it was the start of something so we're still trying to play our role in that," Williamson said. "It's a really privileged time to be part of this team. The opportunity to be the first this and that is a big motivator but more because we know what it does for women's football and continues the legacy that we've already started." Sunday's final at St Jakob-Park is expected to draw a record viewing audience in England, after the team's dramatic semi-final win over Italy in extra time gave British broadcaster ITV its biggest audience of the year. Williamson said she and her teammates are aware of what another Euro victory would mean. "We're very connected to what it means to the nation. As connected as we can be being away from home," she said. "The opportunity of (Sunday) and what's on offer is the best thing in football. We wanted to be here until the end and have the chance to fight for the trophy and you can't do that until the final. "We don't carry the weight of it and how much it means to people but we're aware of it because it means the same to us. We have a squad of excited, focused players." Williamson, who injured her ankle during England's quarter-final win over Sweden, was asked about playing through pain.