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Former boxing champ says Anthony Joshua is in shocks talks to fight Olympic gold medalist in return before Tyson Fury

Former boxing champ says Anthony Joshua is in shocks talks to fight Olympic gold medalist in return before Tyson Fury

The Sun2 days ago
FORMER boxing champion Spencer Oliver has claimed Anthony Joshua is in talks to fight a former Olympic gold medalist next.
AJ has been out of the ring since September when he was knocked out by Daniel Dubois at Wembley.
He underwent elbow surgery earlier in the summer and looks set for a comeback fight before the year is over.
And ex-European bantamweight champ Oliver told talkSPORT that 2016 Olympic gold medalist Tony Yoka is an opponent in talks to face AJ next.
He said: "Do I think they are going to fight? I think that it is a great possibility. We get two Olympic gold medallists going at it.
"Tony Yoka is trying to rekindle his career after losing to the likes of Carlos Takam. He has won his three now; he last boxed in June.
"He is very much in the rebuilding process, as is Anthony Joshua. Doesn't it make sense? Two Olympic gold medallists, there is history there.
"It will be a great fight, it is a sellable fight, I would love to see it."
Yoka, 33, beat Team GB's Joe Joyce in their super-heavyweight final in Rio in what was deemed a hugely controversial decision.
The Frenchman turned professional in 2017 but has failed to hit the same heights, losing three times in a row with his record at 17-3.
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He was also suspended for one year in 2018 after missing three drugs tests within a 12-month period.
His last win came in May against Arslan Yallyev on points over ten rounds.
Yoka bounced back from his spate of losses in 2024 by beating Amine Boucetta at Tolworth Recreation Centre - which is also an indoor football pitch.
Joshua, 35, meanwhile has been in Mykonos on holiday while being linked with a shock fight against YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.
But Turki Alalshkih wants AJ to fight Tyson Fury - who is set to return next year after retiring in the wake of two losses to Oleksandr Usyk.
The Saudi boxing boss told The Boxing Voice: "Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury next year, we are trying to do it and we are thinking about it.
"I need to have for each one tune-up fight first. Why? Because they are both coming off losses. It's to build it up."
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Real Madrid's request to postpone LaLiga opener denied, report says
Real Madrid's request to postpone LaLiga opener denied, report says

Reuters

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  • Reuters

Real Madrid's request to postpone LaLiga opener denied, report says

Aug 1 (Reuters) - Real Madrid will begin their LaLiga campaign with a home game against Osasuna as scheduled after Spain's federation (RFEF) rejected their appeal to postpone the August 19 fixture on Thursday, local media reported. Real had requested a longer rest period and pre-season after playing in the Club World Cup in the U.S., where they lost to Paris St Germain in the semi-finals on July 9, according to the report. Reuters has contacted the RFEF and Real for comment. An RFEF judge ruled that in order to preserve the integrity of the competition only a case of force majeure would warrant a change to the official calendar, and that Real's case did not justify an alteration, Europa Press news agency reported. "Finally, it should be added that although the requesting club claims to have the agreement of the opposing party, CA Osasuna, there is no record of this entity having responded to the request made by this judge," the sole judge was quoted as saying in his ruling by the Europa Press.

When Partick Thistle signed Pogba: Unfortunately it wasn't world-beater Paul... but the big brother who ended up in jail for trying to extort money from his famous sibling
When Partick Thistle signed Pogba: Unfortunately it wasn't world-beater Paul... but the big brother who ended up in jail for trying to extort money from his famous sibling

Daily Mail​

time36 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

When Partick Thistle signed Pogba: Unfortunately it wasn't world-beater Paul... but the big brother who ended up in jail for trying to extort money from his famous sibling

Scottish football has long been in the grip of what we might call Prestwick Airport Syndrome. Elvis Presley touched down there for roughly 90 minutes back in March 1960, but that hasn't stopped the airport erecting several plaques and dedicating a themed restaurant to the King of Rock and Roll. Similarly, our football clubs have always been keen to grasp at any possible connection to greatness, no matter how tenuous. See Diego Maradona Junior's unsuccessful trial spell at Dunfermline in 2004, or Rodney Sneijder — younger brother of Wesley — playing one solitary game for Dundee United in 2015. With the benefit of hindsight, though, there is one entry in this particular chapter of Scottish transfer oddities that leaps off the page more than any other. Ten years ago this month, Partick Thistle swooped for Mathias Pogba, brother of World Cup winner and one-time most expensive player in the world Paul. Nowadays, Mathias is best known for his involvement in a bizarre attempt to extort money from his younger and more successful sibling. He was convicted along with five others last December and sentenced to three years in prison, two of them suspended (although he was permitted to serve the remainder on house arrest). When he arrived at Firhill aged 24, he was a Guinean international striker who had played Serie B football with Pescara and proved himself competent and moderately prolific at English lower-league level with both Wrexham and Crewe Alexandra. While the Jags undoubtedly thought there might be some benefits publicity-wise from his signing — with Paul fresh from participating in the Champions League final for Juventus in 2015 and being named best young player at the World Cup in 2014 — there was also some logic underpinning manager Alan Archibald's move for the older Pogba. At the time, Thistle were two years into a five-year stint in the Premiership, striving to put down roots yet constantly undermined by a chronic lack of goals. Jags fan and podcaster David Forrest recalls: 'The club felt like the most professional it had been in years, and we had a settled core of players who could be relied on, so there was a genuine feeling that we could consolidate our position in the Premiership and become a club like Kilmarnock or St Johnstone. 'This was also the same time as the Kingsford Capital Management deal so, in the space of a few weeks, a Californian investor had poured six figures into the club, then our mascot Jaggy MacBee was being replaced by a sun deity [Kingsley] straight out of an HP Lovecraft story, and now we were signing Paul Pogba's brother! 'It was a whirlwind time, but it was exciting. You'd go into work and people who never usually gave us the time of day were asking you about the latest mad Thistle development.' Given the chance, Mathias might just have wanted to talk about the natural splendour of Ruchill Park, or how excited he was to be teaming up with Stuart 'Banzo' Bannigan. But, from the off, it was clear that his famous brother would be dominating most of his conversations with the media. 'Everyone has been talking about my brother,' sighed Thistle's new No 99 in one of his first interviews. 'But it would be nice to say Mathias Pogba is here.' Forrest adds: 'For many Thistle fans, the first thing that sprung to mind was Jorge Cadete. He had signed with us in the early 2000s, straight out of Portuguese Big Brother, and we got a lot of press coverage about it. Not only did he never score for us, Thistle didn't score once when Cadete was on the field. It was a total disaster. 'That said, Pogba was a Guinean international, and we've had strikers with far more dubious goal records. We were so reliant on Kris Doolan up front at the time that we were crying out for someone to pick up the slack. We all knew we couldn't depend on Doolan forever, and if Pogba could be a quarter of what his brother was, it would work for us…' To put you out your suspense, it didn't. Mathias certainly spent a lot more time on the pitch at Firhill than poor old Rodney Sneijder did up at Tannadice the same season. Deemed worthy of 30 appearances in all competitions, it's clear that Archibald didn't consider him completely useless. In fact, there was even a period when Pogba seemed to have permanently ousted club legend Doolan from the lone striker role in Archibald's preferred formation, making six starts from eight league games during the spring. The goals wouldn't come, however. Pobga managed a total of two that term, both against Hamilton Accies — just to prove that the South Lanarkshire outfit had the same cursed energy back then as they do now. 'He was very good against Accies, every time we played away at Hamilton he would give them hell and score as well,' remembers Forrest. 'He clearly had something about him. But ultimately, he was one of many underfiring strikers we had around that time, alongside Ade Azeez, Nathan Eccleston, Ryan Stevenson, etc. They all blend into one a bit, but Pogba stands out because it was so odd that he was there in the first place.' And what about Paul? Mathias made the following claim during his early days Firhill: 'Of course Paul is a Partick Thistle supporter now, and he follows our results closely from Italy.' As pleasant as it might have been for Thistle fans to entertain daydreams of the former Ballon d'Or contender swinging by Munn's Bar or Maryhill Lidl, actual spottings were rare. 'Paul was definitely about once or twice to watch us get absolutely hammered by Celtic at Parkhead, it was a big talking point,' laughs Forrest. Mathias' final four appearances in a Thistle jersey took place in the group stage of the Betfred Cup the following summer. His third and final goal on Scottish soil (an impressive diving header from a Callum Booth cross) was scored at Ochilview in a 4-1 hosing of Stenhousemuir. Having hit the threshold of 25 appearances during the 2015-16 campaign, the striker actually triggered a contract extension. Nonetheless, when transfer deadline day came, he was off, having somehow parlayed himself into an eye-catching move to Eredivisie outfit Sparta Rotterdam. Of course, the reason Mathias' name is still never far from the lips of Thistle fans like Forrest to this day is nothing to do with the four goals he mustered in the Dutch top flight, or indeed anything that happened at clubs like Manchego Ciudad Real or Tabor Sezana during a subsequent nomadic period. 'People definitely kept up with him when he went to Rotterdam, then ended up being rejected by [German third-tier side] KFC Uerdingen for being overweight,' adds Forrest. 'He then went on a proper journeyman phase, touring about Spanish non-league before ending up in Slovenia of all places. Certainly, it was fun trying to figure out where he'd end up next. 'His, shall we say, 'family quarrel' was big news, as you'd expect. Even though he was away from us for years, the second we heard about it (his attempt to extort money from his brother), people thought: 'This is so Thistle'. You're never getting an ex-Hearts or Aberdeen player doing that!' Two years on from Mathias' abrupt departure, and partly due to the Jags' ongoing failure to find a reliable goalscorer not named Kris Doolan, Thistle were relegated, and are yet to return to the top flight. Veteran midfielder Stevie Lawless is now the only player from that era still on the books. Mathias Pogba was convicted in a Paris criminal court and sentenced to three years in prison As for their former No 99? The latest news is that he has rocked up at Belgian minor league outfit Sint-Niklaas, for whom the 34-year-old scored a late match-winning double on his debut in March. Wherever Mathias winds up next, he can be sure that a small community of football trainspotters scattered around northwest Glasgow will be watching with interest. 'I don't know if everyone is watching him as closely as me, although I am very much in the top percentile of Mathias Pogba enthusiasts amongst the Thistle support,' admits Forrest. 'I would certainly say he is somewhat fondly remembered. 'He wasn't very good, but was at the very least quite amusing. Non-Thistle fans still bring him up to this day. 'If you can't be good, be funny, and Mathias nailed the brief on that one. If he ever fancies another run-out when Accies are back at New Douglas Park, I'll be the first in line to buy a ticket.'

MAN UNITED CONFIDENTIAL: Triple injury boost, Harry Maguire handed new court date and Diogo Dalot opens up about how he has been affected by Diogo Jota's death
MAN UNITED CONFIDENTIAL: Triple injury boost, Harry Maguire handed new court date and Diogo Dalot opens up about how he has been affected by Diogo Jota's death

Daily Mail​

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  • Daily Mail​

MAN UNITED CONFIDENTIAL: Triple injury boost, Harry Maguire handed new court date and Diogo Dalot opens up about how he has been affected by Diogo Jota's death

Diogo Dalot has spoken of his pain over the death of his friend and Portugal team-mate Diogo Jota. The Liverpool forward died alongside his brother Andre Silva in a crash in northern Spain a month ago on his way back to Merseyside for pre-season training. Dalot and Jota played together for Portugal many times and had won the Nations League just weeks earlier, beating Spain in the final in Germany. The United defender joined captain Bruno Fernandes and head coach Ruben Amorim in laying a wreath at a memorial for Jota at Anfield in the days after the tragedy. Dalot paid tribute to the 28-year-old and said that seeing Jota's name on shirts on tour with United in Chicago shows that he will never be forgotten by everyone in football. 'It's tough to talk about it,' said Dalot after United's win over Bournemouth at Soldier Field. 'It was tough for me and for every team-mate that played with him. I cannot imagine what the family went through. I had the opportunity to see them, and I don't think there are any words to describe it when such a tragedy happens like that. 'It hits you. I felt that everybody, the whole world felt it, even if they didn't know him personally. It's just a tragedy. I think every time I go on the pitch, I try to … even today I saw shirts with his name and I think he will be remembered forever. 'I think he deserves it because he was a great man, a great team-mate; someone that I would say was a role model for me because I always like to see a player's behaviour when you play and when you don't play. He was always the guy that was thinking and putting the team first. 'So I will always remember him like that and hopefully he's at peace now and resting where he is. 'He could have played for any team. When you're talking about the personal side, I don't look to the shirts that he represents. Obviously, I played a lot of years with him in the national team, and I spent some time with him in there. You create a connection, you create some memories, and I think that's what I want to keep, the good memories. I think it's how I want to remember it.' Triple injury boost for Ruben Good news on the injury front for Ruben Amorim with Lisandro Martinez, Joshua Zirkzee and Andre Onana all back in light training at United's base in Chicago. Martinez hasn't played since rupturing an anterior cruciate ligament in his knee against Crystal Palace at Old Trafford in early February. The Argentina defender came on tour to continue his rehab and because Amorim thought it would be good to have him around the camp. Confidential understands that Martinez is stepping up his recovery at the Endeavor Health Performance Center. He has done some running on the grass and some ball work on his own, but isn't ready to rejoin the main group yet. Zirkzee is also back on the grass as he recovers from a minor injury after battling his way back from a hamstring strain to be fit for the Europa League final defeat to Tottenham in Bilbao in May. Explaining the latest issue on tour, Zirkzee said: 'I've got a small injury but it shouldn't take too long to recover now. I've got great physios working with me every day. 'It's not a serious problem. It's pre-season so unlike last season where I wanted to push myself to be back for the final, obviously now I just want to be there for the start of the season.' Onana is working his way back to fitness after suffering a tear in his left hamstring on the second day of pre-season at Carrington. Like Martinez, it was decided that he would come on tour even though there was little chance of him playing. The United goalkeeper has been throwing himself around in training, but he is under instructions from the medical staff to make sure all his training is non-contact. Onana won't play on tour but has an outside chance of returning for United's final pre-season friendly against Fiorentina at Old Trafford next week, and should be available for the Premier League opener at home to Arsenal. There is still a question mark over the Cameroonian's future at Old Trafford after United quoted Monaco £30m to buy him and then had an offer to take Emi Martinez on loan rejected by Aston Villa, but as it stands Onana is set to continue as No.1. United stars go feet first Rasmus Hojlund and Luke Shaw managed to avoid joining the casualty list despite playing barefoot in a kids' game at the Chicago Fire's community facility on Tuesday. The United team-mates were on opposing teams and seemed to enjoy the friendly rivalry on what was a suffocatingly hot day at the Fire Pitch. What was the final score? 'It was 12-10 or something,' said Shaw who kept his feet out of harm's way during the 15-minute game. 'They're alright, my problems are gone now,' added Shaw before sitting down with reporters to give a typically honest opinion on his injury issues over the last 18 months and what Ruben Amorim has done to improve the 'toxic' atmosphere around United. Maguire's new court date It's been five years since Harry Maguire was arrested following an incident during a family holiday on the Greek island of Mykonos, but the United defender will finally get the chance to clear his name after a new date was set for his retrial. Maguire was found guilty of assaulting police officers and attempted bribery following an alleged brawl and handed a 21-month suspended sentence, but he strenuously denies the allegations and the verdict was automatically quashed on appeal. The new trial was first delayed in May 2023 because Maguire's defence counsel was unavailable, and again in February 2024 due to a Greek lawyers' strike. After it was rescheduled for March 25 of this year without success, a court official in Syros even suggested that it might not take place at all because the statute of limitations takes effect in August 2028. However, Confidential has learned that the new date is October 8 of this year when Maguire will hopefully have his day in court. He is set to be on England duty against Wales a day later, but it's understood that he won't have to appear in court in person. Maguire came on tour to the US a day later than his team-mates due to a personal issue but has played in both games so far, coming on as a second-half substitute for Matthijs de Ligt in the 2-1 win against West Ham in New Jersey and then making way for the Holland defender at half-time in the 4-1 win over Bournemouth in Chicago as a precaution. 'He had an issue during training in the holidays,' explained United boss Ruben Amorim. 'He's a little bit late, so we have to be careful with him. It's just a little bit of fatigue with the training. We are trying to control everything and saving all the players to give the exact minutes that they need.' Texas Old'ham Amorim and his players won't get as far west as Texas on the club's current tour of the US, but a team has been representing the club in Houston this week. The Manchester United Foundation are playing from Tuesday until Friday in the Genuine Cup, an inclusive football tournament for players aged 18 and above who are living with intellectual and developmental disabilities. There are 38 teams taking part from 22 countries around the world, and United have picked a mix of 12 young male and female people from the Greater Manchester area who are living with various disabilities, and all of whom attend at least one of the foundation's disability and inclusion projects.

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