
Tyson Fury ready for comeback and targets Oleksandr Usyk rematch
Fury retired from the sport following December's rematch defeat to Ukrainian Usyk, but Saudi Arabian boxing chief Turki Alalshikh revealed on Wednesday that the 36-year-old had told him of his intention to fight next year.
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Fury – who has recently posted footage of himself back in the gym with trainer SugarHill Steward – then followed up that announcement himself, speaking to Boxing News at an IBA Pro Event in Istanbul.
The 'Gypsy King' will be back!!! I talked with him, and I have his word to have him in Riyadh Season in 2026 ... 🥊 We have a rabbit to hunt! 🐰🐇
pic.twitter.com/yhDVkoQD1f
— TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh)
July 2, 2025
'Who would I rather fight right now? Usyk. I want my revenge in England, that's all I want,' Fury said.
'I want my fair shout, and I don't believe I got a fair shout the last two times. I don't know what I'm going to have to do, because I can't let it go to a decision.
'That's the one I want, but if I don't get that then it will be Joshua, the biggest British fight that will ever happen.
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'It would break all records and it would sell out 100,000 at Wembley in an hour and it's a fight I think can happen, if I decide to come back and the deal was right.'
Usyk will become a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion should he defeat Daniel Dubois, the IBF heavyweight world champion, at Wembley later this month.
Tyson Fury, right, said he wants a rematch with Oleksandr Usyk following his loss in December (Nick Potts/PA)
Fury appeared to dismiss the prospect of taking on Dubois.
'If I did come back, hypothetically speaking, if I was to return and box Daniel Dubois, he wouldn't land a glove on me, it would be a one-sided beatdown,' he said.
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Tyson Fury will come out of retirement in 2026, sa...
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'But I wish him luck in his fight against Usyk, but styles make fights and his style and my style don't gel. I would annihilate him.'
Alalshikh signalled a potential Fury return with a social media post on Tuesday which referenced the 'rabbit' nickname given by Fury to Usyk in the build-up to their previous fights.
'The 'Gypsy King' will be back,' Alalshikh wrote. 'I talked with him, and I have his word to have him in Riyadh Season in 2026 … We have a rabbit to hunt.'
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Telegraph
9 minutes ago
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Beth Mead interview: We're now judged like England men's team – that is a good thing
Beth Mead has experienced the highest of highs as a footballer and the lowest of lows as a daughter who lost her mother just a few months later. It was three years ago that Mead won the European Championship with England, ending the tournament with the Golden Boot and the year as BBC Sports Personality of the Year. Her life changed forever. She became a household name, a celebrity. And at the same time, she was left without her mum, June, to help steer her through it. 'Our lives changed almost overnight,' Mead tells Telegraph Sport. 'It was a big change at rapid speed. I went into the tournament as a footballer and came out of it as someone who was famous. That wasn't what I was expecting. 'Women's football in this country changed forever after that tournament. At Arsenal, our attendances flew through the roof. There was more television coverage and the game changed for the better. 'In terms of the celebrity side, it was a little weird at first. On a personal level, it was a big change, but whenever someone came up to me, in the back of my mind, I knew this was good for women's football. I'm an extrovert, it comes more easily to me to speak to people, but some found it a little harder to adapt.' There were challenges ahead for Mead, though. An anterior cruciate ligament injury in late 2022 ruled her out of the following year's World Cup and then she had to navigate her way through the trauma of losing a parent, without the release of playing the sport she loved. 'I think I went from the highest high in my life to the lowest of lows in the space of six months,' she says. 'I found out quite quickly after the Euros that my mum's cancer was terminal. I was trying to manoeuvre being this person who had achieved something they had always dreamed of, to being a daughter who was going to lose her mum. 'I was trying to come to terms with a new life with the dread of knowing that my mum was not going to be by my side. We were incredibly close, that was a tough path to figure out. 'To then do my ACL alongside that, it was a really horrible time, but it has helped mould me into the person I am today. I am a very lucky person because of the people I have around me. The people who really love me. You find out who those people are in dark moments like that. 'I have a great family and a family away from family, the Arsenal girls. They showed up for me at the hardest time of my life. Those moments when I thought I can't do this, they were by my side to help show me I could.' It has given the 30-year-old a unique perspective on not just football, but life. Back in the England squad as they prepare to defend their European crown in Switzerland, Mead has been through so much. She has forged strength in the face of adversity; a sense that whatever is thrown at her, she will overcome. These are qualities England need more than ever. The Lionesses have reached at least the semi-finals of every major tournament since 2015, but their form recently has been patchy. There has been criticism of their performances and players have departed. The sudden retirement of Mary Earps on the eve of the Euros was closely followed by that of Fran Kirby, another key figure in their success. When England's captain in Australia, Millie Bright, announced she was making herself unavailable for selection for the Euros to prioritise her 'mental and physical wellbeing' there was a sense of crisis engulfing the camp. Bright, like Earps, is understood to have been told she was no longer a guaranteed starter by manager Sarina Wiegman. Where once there had been only praise and good wishes, there were now barbed questions and scrutiny of the motives behind those decisions. Expectations are incredibly high too. You might argue the Lionesses have become victims of their own success but, interestingly, Mead does not entertain the idea they are victims of anything. Her message is a blunt one: this is what women's football wanted – deal with it. 'We are being judged how the England men's team always has been,' said Mead, with the sort of straight-talking approach that betrays her Yorkshire roots. 'One hundred per cent that is a good thing for me. That is how big women's football has become. It doesn't make it easier for some people and yes, it can be difficult, but top and bottom, we have to deal with it and cope with it. If there is criticism in the media, if there is outside noise, it should give us an extra point to prove.' Reflecting on England's inconsistency since winning the Euros in 2022 and reaching the World Cup final a year later, Mead expands on her point. 'It has been up and down [since the World Cup],' she says. 'We've had some good performances and some not good ones. I guess we have been in a transition period. 'There was a lot of familiarity in the group and that changed through retirements. We've had more change on the eve of the tournament, but that is done. We have to pull together, make it right and deliver. I always back us going into tournaments that we will get it right. 'There might be a perception that we are not the same force we were. But that was around the team when we went to the World Cup and the team got to the final. 'We know what comes as part and parcel of playing for England now. The expectations are huge and there is pressure, there is noise, but we are going out there to win the thing. 'I don't shy away from that expectation and pressure, we have to embrace it and as one of the senior players that is what I've been drilling into people. We're playing for England, this is what comes with it. 'There is going to be criticism attached to that. Throughout my career, I've always been criticised as well as praised. It's not something that worries me or bothers me. 'I understand that for some people it's not easy to have to deal with that and it can hurt. It's not our favourite part of playing the game, but we wanted the game to grow, we wanted the attention and with that expectation comes pressure. If you don't live up to it, there will be criticism. It should just give us an extra fire inside to prove people wrong. 'There is nothing better than shutting people up by performing on the pitch. That is the challenge we take on and it is one we are relishing. I think we should use it as motivation, not shy away from it. People can say what they want, we win games and it all goes away. Suddenly the story is different, isn't it?' Mead is diplomatic when asked about the loss of three senior players, insisting she respects their decision, but echoed the words of Wiegman when she said the squad had already moved on. 'They are big characters we are going to miss,' she says. 'They are players I've played with for a long time at international level. It will be a little bit weird not having them there, but at the same time, everyone has their own journey. These girls made their decisions for whatever reason and you have to respect that. 'We have to push on with the players we have here now. National teams evolve, there are always going to be changes. The last Euros was three years ago, you've got to make the best out of the situation, not worry about players who aren't going to be there.' There will always be one person Mead will miss; someone she will always struggle to cope without. 'I still think about my mum every single day,' she adds. 'Something will happen… a song on the radio, I'll hear her voice when someone says something. There are days when I think about her more than others, but there is always something. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Beth Mead MBE (@bethmead_) 'When I got the call from Sarina to say I had been called up to the England squad, she said to me I'm super happy for you to be in the squad, the first without your mum and that makes it very very different. 'For her to still understand and recognise that for me, it was very special. She lost her sister just before the Euros and we have that connection. We have lost someone we love and everything that comes with that. It never leaves you, but you have to get on with life.' It is an approach England will do well to follow this summer. 'I want to inspire kids when we play in Euros this summer' How do famous names spend their precious downtime? In our weekly My Saturday column, celebrities reveal their weekend virtues and vices. This week: Beth Mead 8am What time the day starts depends on what time kick-off is. I would love a lie-in, but my dog Myle really doesn't. She's a little cocker spaniel, brown with a white chest and ginger paws. I'm biased but she's gorgeous and I love her to bits. She's like me – full of energy, and a big personality, a big alpha woman 9am I've been away from my partner Vivianne [Miedema, who plays for Manchester City] since she left Arsenal, so it's nice to have quality time whenever we can. When it's not a match day, we'll go for a walk and have brunch and a coffee. I live by the countryside near St Albans so Myle is free to roam wherever she likes, as long as she behaves. 10am I live very close to the Arsenal training ground, so I drive over and get my breakfast at the club. I'm a creature of habit and eat what I eat to be able to feel good on the pitch, so it'll be avocado on toast with scrambled eggs or anything else to do with eggs, I'm a big egg fan. 11am We get on the bus to travel to the club. I play Monopoly Deal with Caitlin Foord, Katie McCabe and Alessia Russo. Katie has got 10 wins more than most of us, so we're not happy about that. We use a few rude words sometimes. 12pm Head into the stadium where I'll always go straight to see the physio. I'm actually very chilled before a match – when I'm on the physio bench, I play Candy Crush on my phone so that I don't think about the game too much, I just switch my brain off. 2pm When I go out for the warm-up, I'm in full focus mode. I'm getting old now so I've got to do that little bit of extra work, prepare correctly, and then get out there and play a good game of football. 5pm A lot of the girls find it really hard to switch off after a match, but it's one of my superpowers – I think some of them are very envious. But, win or lose, I'll always look at myself in the mirror, check my own performance, and look at what went right and what went wrong, and what could be done better. I'll then go over it the next day with coaches, looking at clips of the match. I'm my own worst enemy, definitely my harshest critic. 7pm It's nice to switch off and cook for myself. I'm very good at risotto and can make a nice lasagne or fajitas. I don't go out often but, if I do, it's for good food, good people and good chat. It depends where I am as to how much I get recognised. If one person talks to you, you're in trouble, other times, I pass by unnoticed. I meet a lot of young fans at McDonald's Fun Football sessions, where boys and girls have a safe environment to play for free. I never got the chance to do something like this as a kid and it would have made my footballing journey a lot easier. It's nice to meet them and give them a core memory – it depends who they support though, maybe not if they're the Chelsea fans! But I hope we can inspire every single one of them while we're out in Switzerland representing the nation. 9pm I've seen Game of Thrones right the way through before and gone back to the beginning. I'm watching it with Steph Catley, my close friend [and Arsenal team-mate], so it's fantastic seeing her reaction when a character dies. We've also been watching Married At First Sight: Australia – that is a very entertaining show. 10.30pm Chill in the bath. Then it's the same bedtime every night, I'm serious about my routine. My head hits the pillow and I'm out. My dad is like that so it's something he passed on to me, which I very much don't take for granted. Beth Mead kicked off the first McDonald's all-girls Fun Football day, with up to 300,000 hours of free coaching sessions across the UK this summer.


BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Everton to spend £1m on Goodison improvements for WSL season
About £1m is being spent on preparing Goodison Park for the start of the Women's Super League season in September, according to one of the club's senior Chong, Everton's stadium development director, said the ground would have "a new lease of life" when it became the home of the women's men's squad bid an emotional farewell to the 133-year-old stadium in May ahead of its move to a 53,000-seater arena at Bramley-Moore club confirmed in May it no longer planned to demolish Goodison Park and would reconfigure it instead, with upper stands covered in the women's team branding. The women's team average attendance has been 2,062 at their previous home in Walton Hall Park and Everton have previously said they are keen to make Goodison, which has a capacity of 39,572, into "an intimate, atmospheric arena". 'Centre of excellence' Phase one of the transition will include stadium changes to improve the matchday experience and more adequate facilities for the start of the season, the Local Democracy Reporting Service Chong told the Local Government Association conference in Liverpool that the club intended to invest in Goodison "over a period of time" and would seek external investment to the tune of "tens of millions of pounds".He said the aim was that the stadium – long known as the Grand Old Lady - could become "a centre of excellence" for women's Blues' charity Everton in the Community would also operate out of the Goodison Park in the future, he added. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.


BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
'Asia's first super club' - are Al-Hilal paving way for more Saudi success?
Tuesday was a big day for Saudi Arabian woke up early to watch Al-Hilal stun Manchester City 4-3 to move into the last eight of the Club World Cup, while in the evening newly promoted Neom SC kicked off what is expected to be a busy summer transfer period in the country by signing former Arsenal forward Alexandre Cristiano Ronaldo signed for Al-Nassr in December 2022, the Saudi Pro League (SPL) has come a long way, as demonstrated by Ronaldo's Riyadh rivals Blues started in the US with draws against Real Madrid and Red Bull Salzburg and progressed from the group stage with a win against Pachuca of then achieving the first victory by an Asian side over European opposition at the Club World Cup, Hilal are full of confidence heading into the quarter-final clash with Fluminense on Friday at 20:00 whatever happens against the Brazilians, the four-time Asian champions are ready to join the global elite."It is now safe to say that Al-Hilal have just become Asia's first super club," Simon Chadwick, Professor of AfroEurasian sport at the Emlyon Business School in Paris, told BBC says this is not all down to spending, however, after Hilal were taken over by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), which also owns Newcastle United, in those two years they have added a mix of veteran stars - defenders Joao Cancelo and Kalidou Koulibaly from Manchester City and Chelsea - players in their prime such as Malcom, Ruben Neves, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Renan Lodi, and youngsters including Brazilian forward Marcos Leonardo from was signed from Paris St-Germain and then left for Santos. Meanwhile, Simone Inzaghi arrived from Inter as manager shortly after the Milan side's Champions League final defeat by PSG."Al-Hilal has long had a large, committed fan base and has enjoyed considerable success," added Chadwick."However, the stability and discipline that PIF ownership has brought, allied to revenues the club is now generating, have clearly elevated Al-Hilal to a new level."On numerous occasions, Ronaldo, who last week extended his Al-Nassr deal by two years, has said he believes the SPL to be one of the top five leagues in the Al-Hilal midfielder Tarik El-Taib agrees."When we look at the league, we talk about Joao Cancelo, Riyad Mahrez, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema," said the ex-Libya international."If you look at the Spanish league - excluding Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid - the foreign players in the Saudi League are at a higher level."There are clubs like Chelsea that have a lot of professional players, but they are not like the big names in the Saudi League." A busy summer? In the summer of 2023 SPL clubs spent about £700m in the transfer window on players including N'Golo Kante, Neymar, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane.A year later more came. Ivan Toney, Cancelo, Moussa Diaby and Steven Bergwijn were among the big signing of January saw Al-Nassr spent about £65m on Jhon Duran of Aston Villa - a deal that also reflected a growing move towards signing younger deals are expected before the new season kicks off in looking to replace Neymar, whose injury-hit 18 months in Riyadh ended in January as he returned to Brazil, have been linked to Napoli's Victor Osimhen, Son Heung-min of Tottenham and Darwin Nunez of English champions' other South American forward Luis Diaz is reportedly an Al-Nassr money is there. Six of the 18 teams in the top tier are among the richest in the 2023, as well as Al-Hilal, the PIF also took over Al-Nassr and Jeddah giants Al-Ittihad and won the Asian Champions League for the first time in May but they finished fifth at home, one place below newly promoted Al-Qadsiah, buoyed by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mexican marksman Julian Quinones scoring 37 goals between Saudi oil giants Aramco backing the eastern club, more big names are expected. Stars for city that doesn't exist Neom SC are a recent addition after winning promotion in April. The club represent a city that does not yet exist and are expected to make the move 130 miles west to the Red Sea coast from their current home of Tabuk early in the next backed by PIF, Neom have started preparation for a first top-tier season by bringing in Lacazette from new city of Neom will host games at the 2034 World Cup and there are rumours that Saudi Arabia will bid to stage the 2033 club it could be that success at the national team level will take some time to catch appearing at the past two World Cups, Saudi Arabia are not one of the six teams in Asia that qualified directly for the 2026 edition, and they must now head down the play-off Green Falcons finished third in their group behind Japan and Australia, largely thanks to scoring only seven goals in 10 games, none of which came from a recognised most clubs filling their attacking spots with foreign talent and few Saudi players heading overseas, Roberto Mancini complained last September, just weeks before he was fired as national team manager, about the lack of opportunities given to domestic stars."Saudi Arabia's international players must participate as core players with their clubs," said the Italian. "I have 20 players sitting on the bench in local matches."His replacement (and predecessor) Herve Renard has made similar case of Firas Al-Buraikan is illustrative. The striker was the fifth top goalscorer in the 2023-24 season with 17 goals, but after Al-Ahli signed England forward Toney from Brentford in August Al-Buraikan spent much of the next campaign on the left wing or the bench, with a return of only three it not a concern for Al-Hilal, now within sight of the global real prize, though, has already been achieved, according to Chadwick."As in the cases of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and others, Hilal will be able to buy better players, further build team success and ultimately strengthen their position as part of world football's elite," he said.