Boxing legend Ricky Hatton steps back into ring at 46 for first fight in over a decade
Hatton, 46, will face veteran Gulf fighter Eisa Al Dah, also 46, in what will be his 49th professional bout.
This marks Hatton's first professional fight in over a decade, following his retirement in 2012 after a loss to Vyacheslav Senchenko.
Hatton, a former welterweight and light-welterweight world champion, boasts a professional record of 45 wins and 3 losses.
Despite an eye injury preventing him from travelling, Hatton joined the press conference via video call, expressing his anticipation for the fight.
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The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Why Jordan Henderson can make his Premier League return successful – and prove his doubters wrong
The last time Jordan Henderson played in the Premier League, he set up a goal. Not a Liverpool goal, admittedly. His stray pass went to Adam Armstrong in a frenetic 4-4 draw between an already-relegated Southampton side and a Liverpool team who had failed to finish in the top four. Liverpool knew then it was a farewell: to Roberto Firmino, who scored on his final appearance; to James Milner, the long-serving vice-captain who was out of contract. Just not to Henderson, whose departure has come to look like Liverpool opportunistically offloading him. The consensus since then is that a misplaced pass was far from the worst option Henderson took in the summer of 2023, that he lost his way in a rather more damning effect than simply picking out a Southampton player. But if his career has taken unexpected turns in the last two years, Henderson has shown he has a capacity to make comebacks. The player Brendan Rodgers wanted to offload to Fulham in part-exchange for Clint Dempsey instead ended up as the only Liverpool captain to lift both the Premier League and Champions League trophies. The veteran who seemed consigned to England's past was instead installed back in the squad by Thomas Tuchel. The midfielder who seemed to be seeing out his playing days in lesser leagues is instead back in the Premier League as Brentford's new signing. Liverpool, Al-Ettifaq, Ajax, Brentford: it has become a unique career arc. Along the way, Henderson may have gone from one of the most admired figures in the game to one of the most criticised. The Saudi Arabian switch saw to that; that Henderson decamped to Amsterdam six months later, at some considerable cost, and never received the fortune anticipated, was not enough to restore a reputation. He was left looking naïve, at best, when he tried to defend his decision to join Al-Ettifaq; and yet a reason why he has outstripped most expectations is his essential decency, coupled with his willingness to graft. That grit explains why he has proved many of his doubters wrong. Which, without doubt, he has to again. Certainly as far as his international place is concerned: Tuchel's decision to bring back Henderson was greeted with incredulity in many quarters. The rising stars of Adam Wharton and Elliot Anderson would seem to be making more compelling cases for selection. Yet those on the outside are in a lesser position to assess the influence Tuchel clearly believes Henderson has behind the scenes. For much of the last two years, he has been discussed more than seen. Few in England watched the Saudi or Dutch leagues. Even a club of Brentford's relatively low profile will bring far more scrutiny in his homeland. Henderson, who had the option of another year at Ajax, has not taken the easy decision in his bid to earn a place in the World Cup. Because Henderson has spent the last 14 years at – apart from spells of mediocrity early in his time at Liverpool – among the best teams in their respective leagues. Brentford came 10th last season but Henderson could be in a bottom-half side; maybe even in a relegation battle. His ageing legs are likely to be tested if Brentford have a minority share of possession. He is 35 now and the only men to play in the centre of midfield at such an age in last season's Premier League were his friends and former colleagues Milner and Adam Lallana, plus Idrissa Gueye. Henderson's game has always entailed some athleticism; at times, his running power was his strongest suit. As he has got older, his positioning leadership has assumed more importance; the familiar jibe is that he spends his time on the pitch pointing. But the fact he is replacing Christian Norgaard has a pertinence. Brentford have lost their captain, their goalkeeper, in Mark Flekken, and a senior presence, in Ben Mee, with the potential their two top scorers, Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa, could follow. They have lost the best manager in their history, in Thomas Frank; his rookie of a successor, Keith Andrews, may prize Henderson's experience and knowhow. After becoming Ajax captain within weeks of his arrival, it will be instructive if he soon gets the Brentford armband. But there is the leader and the player; he can still talk, but can he still play? One reason to think so lies in the club who have signed him. Brentford show plenty of acumen – indeed Liverpool have admired them for their use of statistics – and they don't get many wrong. Henderson, a 35-year-old, big-name England international, is far from their usual profile of recruit but they, presumably, do not see a risk. Liverpool saw a player in decline. Henderson had two years left on a four-year deal that, seemingly, some at the club were reluctant to grant him, when Al-Ettifaq may have done them a favour. Their captain had been terrific in 2021-22, rather less so the following year. Jurgen Klopp scarcely offered the reassurances Henderson required about his place in his plans. Liverpool 2.0 instead had a younger, more energetic midfield. Henderson's road instead took him via oil money in Saudi Arabia to a bus stop in Hounslow. Another undignified error by him or further evidence of Brentford's astuteness? The answer may dictate if Brentford recover from their summer exodus, if Henderson goes to the World Cup, if he can show he isn't done yet.
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
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For the first four weeks of the 2025 Club World Cup, there had been the danger that the tournament would soon be largely forgotten. There is no danger of that after the final. There had been unease after the 2022 World Cup final at the way Qatar inserted itself into the trophy presentation by draping a bisht over Lionel Messi, but at least the Emir kept his distance. Donald Trump, by contrast, placed himself front and centre of the celebrations – and he was soon joined by the Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, who has a pathological fear of missing out, and must follow his great ally in all things. And so we were presented with a grimly perfect image of this misguided tournament, a celebrating football team struggling to be seen from behind the politicians who took centre stage. The confusion of Cole Palmer and Reece James at Trump's continued presence was clear. History, and not just football history, will not forget such shameless grandstanding, or Fifa's complicity in allowing football to be hijacked by a national leader. It was a day the ramifications of which will be sifted for years. As a footballing spectacle, it was remarkable, a game in which Palmer produced a performance to elevate him to global stardom, in which Robert Sánchez did much to quiet his many critics, in which Enzo Maresca announced himself as a tactician of the highest rank. There had been plenty of intrigue earlier in the tournament – Al-Hilal's last-16 victory over Manchester City and Real Madrid's capitulation in the semi-final perhaps most notably – but they had always been undercut by doubts as to how seriously each side was taking it. But PSG's determination to add the world title to the Champions League crown they won in May was obvious and, in the final, they were outplayed to a startling degree. 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Palmer produced one of the great final performances, scoring the first with a great finish, the second with a great finish after a dummied pass of almost comical effectiveness and then setting up the third with a barrelling run and perfectly calibrated pass for João Pedro. Perhaps PSG were disadvantaged by having played in the second semi-final; perhaps in the extreme heat an extra 24 hours of rest makes a huge difference. Still, it's been a long time since anybody has taken Luis Enrique's PSG apart like that – even if it took two exceptional saves from Sánchez to prevent PSG getting a second-half goal that might have made the denouement more anxious than it was. There have been plenty who have doubted Maresca's tactical approach, his apparent over-caution, his obsession with avoiding risk. But on Sunday, he clearly got the gameplan right. Using Pedro Neto as an auxiliary wing-back helped negate the forward surges of Achraf Hakimi but it was on the other flank, the way space was created for Palmer, that the game was won. These were moments that will define careers and, in so doing, offer legitimacy and prestige to the Club World Cup. As world champions, after a performance like that, with a squad of such depth, Chelsea have to be considered serious contenders for the Premier League title. But in the end, the football seemed an afterthought. There is always something uncomfortable to the European mind in the militarism of US sporting fanfare (which has begun, regrettably, to seep into the FA Cup final). Why was the Star-Spangled Banner played before kick-off? When has the host's anthem ever previously been played like that at a Fifa event? Why was there a fly-over of military planes? Sign up to Soccer with Jonathan Wilson Jonathan Wilson brings expert analysis on the biggest stories from European soccer after newsletter promotion By the trophy presentation, that had become something much more sinister. Was the US hosting football, or was football hosting the US? Or rather a particular vision of the US represented by Trump? Fifa has just opened offices in Trump Tower: Infantino's alliance with the president is both committed and alarming. And having pushed through his vision of the Club World Cup with all its flaws without meaningful consultation, what next for Fifa? Checks and balances simply don't apply any more. This is an extract from Soccer with Jonathan Wilson, a weekly look from the Guardian US at the game in Europe and beyond. Subscribe for free here. Have a question for Jonathan? Email soccerwithjw@ and he'll answer the best in a future edition.
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Wimbledon 2025 drives record breaking digital audience to BBC Sport
Wimbledon attracted a record breaking 69.3 million online requests for BBC Sport from 30 June to 13 July – the highest ever digital engagement for the championships on record. Audiences turned to BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website, and the BBC Sport app in unprecedented numbers across the two weeks with an increase from 50.1 million online requests in 2024 and beating the previous record of 54.3 million online requests set in 2023. The men's singles final between rivals Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner was a major draw for audiences, peaking at 8.8 million across TV and online, including 8.3 million of those on BBC One – an increase from last year's 7.5 million on BBC One. Sinner ultimately triumphed, lifting his first Wimbledon title in an exciting four-set battle. In the women's singles final, Iga Świątek claimed her first Wimbledon crown with a commanding win over Amanda Anisimova. The match peaked at 4.1 million viewers on BBC One and was streamed over 1 million times on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website/app. Alex Kay-Jelski, Director of BBC Sport says: 'This year's record-breaking digital figures for Wimbledon are testament to the huge appeal of the sport amongst audiences and the power of digital innovation to bring both new and existing fans closer to the action than ever before. The way people are following Wimbledon is changing but that is exciting for us as we look to tell the best stories in different ways'. This year's tournament also saw Emma Raducanu draw record TV audiences, with her Centre Court clash against Aryna Sabalenka attracting a peak TV audience of 5 million – the third-highest peak for a non-final match in four years, behind only her own fourth-round thriller against Lulu Sun in 2024 and Andy Murray's clash with John Isner in 2022. CF
