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Hughes stops Miranda in 42 seconds in Belfast

Hughes stops Miranda in 42 seconds in Belfast

Yahoo11-05-2025

Derry's Paul Hughes got back in the win column with an explosive 42-second knockout victory over Bruno Miranda in Belfast.
Hughes soaked up an electric atmosphere inside the SSE Arena before producing a performance that matched it.
The 28-year-old lightweight, who dropped Miranda with a huge left hand, said: "I wish it went on a little longer, I know people wanted to see a scrap, but what do you do? I just hit too hard.
"I made my professional debut in this arena over eight years ago and every single time I drove past it I said I am going to fight there [again] and my dream came true.
"We're a small country but we're dong big things on the world stage. I hope I represent you all well, because I am going to the top."
Fighting on home soil for the first time since 2019, Hughes might have felt the weight of a nation on his shoulders.
After a narrow defeat by former Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov in January, Hughes needed a big performance on home soil to stake his claim for a rematch.
But there was zero sign of nerves from Hughes, who wore a broad smile from the moment he emerged from backstage.
Hughes appeared alongside local musician Foy Vance, who sang a live version of the Dubliners 'Grace'.
The crowd sang the lyrics back to Hughes after relentlessly booing Miranda a few moments before.
Hughes entered the cage to 'Oles' nd there was no time for even a slight lull in atmosphere as Hughes took advantage of a lazy kick from Miranda by catching it and delivering his knockout blow.
As Miranda collapsed and Hughes unloaded, the referee stepped in to stop the contest.
"Usman Nurmagomedov, you can run and you can try delay this rematch as long as you want, but your day is coming," Hughes said in the aftermath.
Hughes improved his record to 14 wins and two losses and will consider himself in pole position to fight Nurmagomedov in the near future.
Relive Hughes epic knockout of Miranda in Belfast
'My body shut down - it was a life or death situation'
In the co-main event, Englishman Lewis McGrillen upset local fighter Alan Philpott by submitting the Antrim man in two rounds.
Manchester's McGrillen, fighting for the first time since winning the 2024 PFL Europe bantamweight tournament, produced a dominant performance to see off 32-year-old Philpott.
He capped the fight off with a rear-naked choke, to secure the first submission victory of his career.
McGrillen, 24, improved to 11 wins and one loss and had a simple message after his latest victory.
"Give me PFL Manchester," he said.
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Brera Holdings PLC (Nasdaq: BREA) and Toronto Blizzard Grassroots Soccer Partnership Targets Youth Sports, an Estimated $69 Billion Industry by 2030
Brera Holdings PLC (Nasdaq: BREA) and Toronto Blizzard Grassroots Soccer Partnership Targets Youth Sports, an Estimated $69 Billion Industry by 2030

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Brera Holdings PLC (Nasdaq: BREA) and Toronto Blizzard Grassroots Soccer Partnership Targets Youth Sports, an Estimated $69 Billion Industry by 2030

Worth $37.5B in 2022, Youth Sports are Projected to Hit $69.4B by 2030 According to with Sports Tourism's Total Economic Impact $91.8B in 2021 Joe Parolini is the Owner and Coach of Toronto Blizzard Joe Parolini is the Owner and Coach of Toronto Blizzard Dublin, Ireland; Naples, Italy; and Toronto, Canada, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brera Holdings PLC ('Brera Holdings' or the 'Company') (Nasdaq: BREA), an Ireland-based international holding company focused on expanding its global portfolio of men's and women's sports clubs through a multi-club ownership ('MCO') strategy, commented on its advisory agreement with the owner of Canada's premier soccer scholarship program, Toronto Blizzard Corp., designed to tap into the $69 billion youth sports market as reported by The initiative intends to leverage the Blizzard Development Academy and Brera's network of pro football clubs and youth academies across three continents, targeting the $37 billion sports tourism market as also reported by Brera looks forward to going beyond Blizzard's preeminence in girls soccer to also provide a clear pathway for boys and eventually girls to rapidly progress into the professional ranks. The partnership aims to provide young soccer players aged 3 to 7 (Little Blizzard Kickers) and 8 to 18 the opportunity to learn and develop as players from exposure to talent at Brera's clubs, including 'the Second Team of Naples,' SS Juve Stabia in Italy's Serie B; North Macedonian first-division men's team Fudbalski Klub Akademija Pandev, now known as Brera Strumica FC; its related women's football club Tiverija Strumica, now known as Brera Tiverija FC, and other clubs in the Brera network from Mongolia and Mozambique. This goal will be achieved through sharing Brera clubs' coaching methodologies with the Blizzard programs and together creating pathways for young players, modeled after Blizzard's 2022 initiative developed with the record-breaking Bundesliga (Germany) champions FC Bayern Munich. Toronto Blizzard Corp. President and Owner, and Soccer Hall of Famer Giuseppe 'Joe' Parolini commented, 'Brera Holdings is the perfect partner to help bring new coaching philosophies to talented youth in Ontario. When I took over the ownership of the Blizzard in 1999, ensuring equal opportunities for women and girls to play and receive the same quality of training and development was very important to me. Through this partnership I believe we can identify talent, develop and create pathways to other opportunities such as Juve Stabia in Naples where I was born, Brera Strumica and Tiverjia in North Macedonia, the World Squad, and more.' Talent identification camps in metro Toronto, and European on-site experiences planned to bring Blizzard players to Brera's club academies are intended to begin in the summer of 2026 or sooner. Toronto Blizzard will promote and coordinate the camps and European academies, which will be delivered by Brera clubs' coaches and players in collaboration with Blizzard technical staff. Friendly matches between Brera clubs and Canadian professional teams are also in the planning stages for 2026 and beyond, subject to financial sustainability. According to some 88% of women's college soccer athletes have played first at the youth club level, with 77% of men coming from the same feeder system. With private college tuition and fees rising from $11,000 in 1981 to $33,000 in 2021, as public college costs went from $2,500 to $9,500 in the same period, the value of an athletic scholarship has never been greater. 'We've seen the incredible soccer talent coming from Canada, as well as at the NCAA programs of U.S. universities where Blizzard alumni have distinguished themselves,' commented Brera Holdings Executive Chairman Daniel J. McClory. 'Our partnership with Toronto Blizzard will allow us to share our clubs' coaching philosophies as well as identify and help develop young talent in Toronto. We look forward to introducing this partnership to the Province of Ontario with the Blizzard, and bringing players to train at the academies of our clubs in Italy and North Macedonia, as these countries enjoy longstanding and particularly strong cross-cultural ties with the Toronto metro area,' he added. ABOUT TORONTO BLIZZARD CORP. AND BLIZZARD DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY CORP. Toronto Blizzard Corp. is a premier youth soccer organization under the continuous ownership, coaching and management of Soccer Hall of Famer Giuseppe 'Joe' Parolini since 1999. Along with its affiliated entity Blizzard Development Academy Corp. (collectively 'Toronto Blizzard'), they serve girls and boys playing soccer from age 8 to 18. Focused initially on ensuring equal opportunities for women and girls to play and receive the same quality of training and development available to boys, Blizzard is now going beyond its historical preeminence in girls soccer to also provide a clear pathway for boys to rapidly progress into the professional ranks. Noted for its competitive youth teams, talent identification clinics, and alumni match tours featuring college players developed by Blizzard competing against NCAA squads, among other innovations pioneered by Joe Parolini and his staff. Blizzard in 2022 developed a youth initiative with the record-breaking Bundesliga (Germany) champions FC Bayern Munich. In 2025 Joe Parolini was named an advisor to Nasdaq-listed Brera Holdings PLC, the first multi-club owner of soccer teams to IPO on a stock exchange. He is developing a strategic Brera-Blizzard plan to establish a comprehensive grassroots program for boys and girls in North America and beyond. The initiative intends to leverage the Blizzard Development Academy and Brera's network of pro football clubs and youth academies across three continents. ABOUT BRERA HOLDINGS PLC Brera Holdings PLC(Nasdaq: BREA) is dedicated to expanding its social impact football business by developing a global portfolio of emerging football and sports clubs. Building on the legacy of Brera FC, which it acquired in 2022, the Company aims to create opportunities for tournament prizes, sponsorships, and professional consulting services. Brera FC, recognized as "The Third Team of Milan," has been crafting an alternative football legacy since its founding in 2000. The club also organizes the FENIX Trophy, a nonprofessional pan-European tournament acknowledged by UEFA. This tournament, which has been referred to as "the Champions League for Amateurs" by BBC Sport, has garnered significant media coverage, including from ESPN. In its efforts to broaden its reach, Brera expanded into Africa in March 2023 by establishing Brera Tchumene FC in Mozambique, which quickly rose to the First Division after winning its post-season tournament. In April 2023, the Company acquired a 90% stake in the North Macedonian first-division team Fudbalski Klub Akademija Pandev, now known as Brera Strumica FC. Additionally, in June 2023, Brera made a strategic investment in Manchester United PLC, realizing a 74% gain. The Company has further diversified its portfolio by acquiring a majority stake in UYBA Volley, an Italian women's professional volleyball team, in July 2023, assuming control of Bayanzurkh Sporting Ilch FC, a Mongolian National Premier League team, which became Brera Ilch FC, in September 2023, and establishing a joint stock company for the North Macedonian women's football club Tiverija Strumica, now known as Brera Tiverija FC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Brera Strumica FC, in June 2024. On December 31, 2024, Brera executed an agreement to acquire majority stake of the corporate capital of Juve Stabia srl, the company which manages the Italian Serie B football club Juve Stabia, also known as 'The Second Team of Naples'. The acquisition will be conducted in a multi-step process and marks a significant expansion of the Company's MCO model. As of February 12, 2025, Brera holds a 38.46% equity ownership interest in Juve Stabia. With a strategic emphasis on bottom-up value creation, innovation-driven growth, and socially impactful outcomes, Brera Holdings has established itself as a forward-thinking leader in the global sports industry. For more information, visit Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Such statements include statements regarding the Company's ability to grow its business and other statements that are not historical facts, including statements which may be accompanied by the words "intends," "may," "will," "plans," "expects," "anticipates," "projects," "predicts," "estimates," "aims," "believes," "hopes," "potential" or similar words. Actual results could differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including without limitation, the Company's ability to continue as a going concern, the popularity and/or competitive success of the Company's acquired football and other sports teams, the Company's ability to attract players and staff for acquired clubs, unsuccessful acquisitions or other strategic transactions, the possibility of a decline in the popularity of football or other sports, the Company's ability to expand its fanbase, sponsors and commercial partners, general economic conditions, and other risk factors detailed in the Company's filings with the SEC. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any responsibility to update such forward-looking statements except in accordance with applicable law. Company Contact Information: Dan McClory, Executive Chairman, Brera Holdings PLCEmail: dan@ Joe Parolini, President, Toronto Blizzard joeparolini@ Joe Parolini is the Owner and Coach of Toronto Blizzard

Hale 'hungry' for more opportunities with NI
Hale 'hungry' for more opportunities with NI

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Hale 'hungry' for more opportunities with NI

Ross County striker Ronan Hale felt he did himself "justice" when making his international debut in Northern Ireland's 1-0 win over Iceland on Tuesday night. The 26-year-old was the subject of a protracted international transfer having represented the Republic of Ireland at youth level then, after being granted clearance, was an unused substitute for NI's previous three fixtures. Advertisement The former Cliftonville man started in the friendly win over Iceland and almost marked his international bow with a goal as he struck the bar in added time at the end of the first half. "It's obviously a great feeling, a long time coming with the process of the transfer and stuff, so I'm just really happy I finally got it done and got on the pitch, but I'm hungry for more now," he said. "I feel that there was obviously a higher tempo compared to club level. The ball is straight in, so it's about finding that extra gear of fitness, but I thought I did myself justice and hopefully I can build on it. "It's a great feeling but it's one that I want more of now." Advertisement Northern Ireland were poor for the opening half hour of the game, while their period in the ascendancy after Isaac Price's first-half goal was cut short by Brodie Spencer's red card in the 57th minute. Hale was replaced while the 10 men dug in to protect their lead but manager Michael O'Neill felt his latest debutant "grew into the game" while he was on the pitch. O'Neill added: "He had some nice link-up play and he had a chance when he nicked one off the goalkeeper and was a little unlucky. "It's always difficult for the striker in the early part of the game if the team isn't playing particularly well. Advertisement "I was pleased for him, I think he showed up well and he has given himself a chance going forward". After his long wait for a first cap, Hale is now targeting involvement in Northern Ireland's 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign that will begin with trips to Luxembourg and Germany in September. "It's obviously frustrating when you're watching other people play in front of you and you just want to be on that pitch, he said. "You're going to get your chance and it's about taking it. Hopefully I've done enough to keep myself in and around it." 'Things can change' Before then, however, his club future will be the subject of some interest. Advertisement In his first season since moving from the Irish Premiership, Hale scored 18 goals in all competitions but his Ross County side were relegated from the Scottish Premiership after losing in the play-off to Livingston. "I'm just going to take it as it comes," he said of transfer speculation. "I'm a Ross County player and I'm contracted to them, but things can change. "It's just about seeing what the future holds for me and the best decision to keep me playing at the highest level I can."

Ireland aim to 'turn big results into series wins'
Ireland aim to 'turn big results into series wins'

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Ireland aim to 'turn big results into series wins'

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