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The Independent
11 minutes ago
- The Independent
Tyson Fury defends Daniel Dubois after Oleksandr Usyk loss as he slams ‘jealous' critics
Tyson Fury has stepped in to defend Daniel Dubois after he has been heavily criticised for 'quitting' against Oleksandr Usyk in their Wembley rematch. The 'Gypsy King' posted to social media, giving Dubois credit for doing his best against one of the greatest fighters of his generation and deplored those who accused him of rolling over too easily. Fury said: 'Young Daniel did his best against one of the best champions that has ever been, and it wasn't good enough. He came up short. He got put down twice. What do you want him to do? Die in the ring.' Fury will understand better than anyone what it's like to face the Ukrainian, having lost to him in similar circumstances last year – on the hunt for the undisputed heavyweight crown. The former unified heavyweight champion believes that the criticism stems from people who are jealous of Dubois' success, and this blinds them to the fact that the Brit did everything he could against a talent like Usyk. Fury explained: 'There's a lot of jealousy in boxing, especially when an individual is making a lot of money. A lot of jealous fighters s****ing someone off who did his best and had the guts to get in there.' Concluding with a heartfelt message, Fury reminded Dubois that everyone is proud of him, and that if he ever wanted to visit Fury at his Morecombe headquarters to train, he was always welcome. Fury said: 'Daniel, if you ever get to see this, chin up, son, your dad's proud of you, everybody's proud of you.' 'If you want to do any training with a real straight man, come to Morecambe any time you want, because there's no jealousy here and there's no putting people down who do their best.' Watch the best fighters with a DAZN subscription Watch over 185 fights a year across a range of combat sports from the world's best promoters with a DAZN subscription.
Times
12 minutes ago
- Times
Stan Hayhurst obituary: Gold Cup-winning jockey in infamous pile-up
Stan Hayhurst's glittering achievement as a jockey was winning the Gold Cup at Cheltenham in 1958. He is best remembered, however, for his involvement in the Grand National nine years later, when his horse, Castle Falls, finished a mere 14th. He was alongside his friend Johnny Leech at the head of the field on the second circuit of Aintree, having jumped Becher's Brook, and now running towards the less challenging 23rd fence. What ensued was the most spectacular pile-up ever seen in a Grand National. 'My fella got stuck on top of the fence,' said Hayhurst. 'Then, with the horses coming behind, he got pushed over. I made off like a sprinter 'cos I thought, Christ, 40 horses are coming and I've got to get out of here. I ran off to the side, turned round and wondered what was going on.' Nearly all the field was involved in the incident. Jockeys were forced to dismount and other horses refused to take the fence or crashed into one another. Not, however, a 100-1 outsider, Foinavon, which, through being in last place, survived the mêlée and had a straightforward triumph. Hayhurst managed to remount Castle Falls and finish the race. 'Terry Biddlecombe came over on Greek Scholar and shouted: 'Come on, lads, there's only one gone on.' So everyone remounted and eventually I got round.' He was fortunate not to add to his tally of breakages, for in his 23-year riding career he suffered six broken collar bones as well as fractures to his ribs, his jaw and a wrist and had his Adam's apple displaced, affecting his swallowing for several days. His sole protection when young was a cork helmet without a chin strap. It did not concern him, for his National Service had been spent with the Veterinary Corps of the British Army as a dog-handler in Kenya, trying to quell the Mau Mau uprising. Risk-taking was an everyday occurrence and did not deter his family, either: one of his two daughters became a stuntwoman on film and television sets and was knocked down by a car in an episode of Coronation Street. Hayhurst, always based in the north of England, rode 301 winners and retired when he was 40. At Cheltenham in 1958, he rode Kerstin, 'a little bit cranky and touchy but a very good jumper. I won by half a length and didn't hear the horse behind me that finished in second place as there was such a noise from the crowd. There were no presentations as happens now, no reporters asking questions and no overnight celebrations. We all went off to the next meeting.' The following year, Hayhurst won the Hennessy Gold Cup on Kerstin, having been unfortunate not to fare better in the Grand National seven months beforehand, when they were hit by Mainstown in a mid-air collision at Becher's Brook on the second circuit. They were then six lengths behind the eventual winner. This was perhaps Hayhurst's biggest regret. It was to be a further eight years before he rode again in the National, and for the penultimate time. 'Stan was a solid, reliable citizen, almost too mild to be a jockey, but a very complete horseman,' said Brough Scott, the racing commentator. Stanley Hayhurst was born in 1933, the son of Alexander Hayhurst, a dairy herdsman, and his wife, Lena, who delivered milk in a pony and trap. He was educated at the village school in Riding Mill, Northumberland, leaving at 15 to work for Fred Milburn, a nearby landowner. 'As my father worked on a farm, animals were always going to be a part of my life,' he said. He became apprenticed for four years to Major Calverley Bewicke, a trainer, wine merchant and country house cricketer, starting work in the yard at 5.30am. On his rare time off, he would cycle the 12 miles back home from Wylam to see his parents, 'who would give me ten bob to see me through'. Hayhurst's first triumph was for Bewicke at Hexham in 1950. He wanted to remain in England during his National Service but could not claim the exemption of being tied to animals on the land. 'Going to Africa took two years out of my career,' he said. 'So I was always second jockey.' He had one ride in Kenya and, back in England, returned to Bewicke, for whom he was to ride 120 winners. Before long he encountered Arkle, the best horse he saw. 'I was riding Border Ring in a novice chase at Cheltenham, Arkle's first start over fences,' he said. 'Going down the backside, Bill Rees was constantly jumping right on one of Peter Cazalet's. Going to the fence after water, Pat Taaffe on Arkle and I were upsides, and he said: 'Jaysus, I'm going to get out of this.' He kicked him in the belly and in five strides was ten lengths in front. Afterwards I said 'What won that?', but I needn't have asked.' In 1963, Hayhurst married Patricia Nisbet, whom he met in a pub in Northumberland. She and their two daughters survive him: Justine worked as a nanny and then for Henrietta Knight, the trainer, and Claire is a yoga teacher as well as a stuntwoman. After retiring as a jockey in 1973, Hayhurst was briefly a judge at horse races before becoming a steward. He owned two newsagents and a livery yard in Ebchester, Co Durham. He rarely went on holiday and, although he followed cricket, the only other time he took off was Christmas Day. His ashes will be scattered in September at the winning post at Hexham, the scene of his first winner. Ian Watkinson, who competed with Hayhurst, said: 'Stan was a great bloke and a fine example of how jockeys should dress and behave.' Stan Hayhurst, jockey, was born on September 4, 1933. He died of natural causes on July 2, 2025, aged 91
BBC News
12 minutes ago
- BBC News
Oxford stadium decision delayed due to ancient woodland
A decision on Oxford United's new stadium plans has been delayed after a nearby woodland was designated as District Council was due to review an application for a 16,000-seat venue on land known as the Triangle, near Kidlington, on 31 the local authority said it required further time after Natural England identified an area of ancient woodland near the site, and said its planning committee would now consider the application on 14 club said it was "disappointed" with the delay. Development director at Oxford United Jonathon Clarke said it the last-minute submission was "frustrating"."However, we have provided comprehensive evidence addressing the points raised," he said, adding it was "an incredibly detailed, robust application"."We will continue our work towards a positive recommendation as we await a new committee date."The planning application has faced several delays since its council said the designation required "a further period of time to ensure the robust consideration of those matters" and incorporate them into its recommendation England previously said its woodland specialists had "found that there has been sufficient evidence submitted to support this site as ancient woodland".But it added that it would be willing to "consider further substantively different evidence" in this particular case. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
