Merlier wins stage nine of Tour de France after heroic escape from Van der Poel
There was no change atop the overall standings with Tadej Pogacar now holding a 54-second advantage over Remco Evenepoel in second with French starlet Kevin Vauquelin third.
Ireland's Ben Healy remains in 11th in the general classification after taking 45th place. Eddie Dunbar was forced to retire from the Tour de France yesterday after he was involved in a crash towards the end of Friday's stage.
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This was a second win for Soudal Quick-Step sprinter Merlier who was first across the line on stage three at Dunkirk as he racked up a 12th stage win this year.
On a sun drenched slog from the Chinon vineyards, Van der Poel and a teammate broke early and built up a lead of 5min 30sec on the flat roads to Chateauroux.
Jonas Rickaert won the combativity award for accompanying Van der Poel to within 10km of the line before slumping over his handlebars.
With his gung-ho all-in style Van der Poel grew his Tour de France legend here despite being caught with 700m to go, the plaudits will be both his and Merlier's.
As Van der Poel was reeled in, it looked as though Jonathan Milan would win a second consecutive stage but Merlier got ahead with 50m remaining as Milan finished second with Arnaud De Lie completing the podium.
Pogacar's Tour de France defence took a hit Sunday as his key teammate Joao Almeida threw in the towel two days after his nasty fall at the Mur de Bretagne, where he fractured a rib.
Monday's stage 10 should shake up the race with eight classified climbs in the Massif Central on the July 14 French national holiday.
Road signs in honour of British cycling great Mark Cavendish had been placed at entry points to Chateauroux — reading Cavendish City — in homage to the now-retired 40-year-old, after he won three stages there in 2008, 2011 and 2021.
– © AFP 2025
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The Irish Sun
29 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
‘Made him bow' – Incredible new footage of Usyk's stunning KO of Dubois leaves boxing fans stunned
FANS were left gobsmacked after catching a new angle of Oleksandr Usyk's brutal knockout of Daniel Dubois in their heavyweight world title rematch. Ukraine's three-time undisputed king floored British star Dubois with a Wembley Stadium on Saturday night. Advertisement 5 Oleksandr Usyk floored Daniel Dubois with a devastating left hook 5 Usyk, 38, put Dubois, 27, down twice in the fifth Credit: PA 5 The Brit couldn't beat the second count of the round Credit: EPA And Usyk's trusty left hand that finished Dubois was caught close-up on an epic ringside video. Incredible new footage from DAZN's social media account show a raw clip of Dubois' final fall - seconds after he initially beat an eight count. The pay-per-view cameras were set up inside the ring, fans have been treated to a fresh perceptive from worm's-eye view underneath the last blow. Dubois had Wembley on their feet when the crowd thought he had Usyk cornered, before the tricky Ukrainian side stepped his way out of it. Advertisement READ MORE BOXING NEWS And before anybody knew about it, the relentless 38-year-old, who remains undefeated in 24 fights, clipped Dubois with a crisp right hand to the temple for the first knockdown. Brave Dubois rose from the canvas and began throwing punches to settle himself in front of 90,000 raucous fans in North London . But seconds later Usyk picked him off, lining up a powerful high left hook to Dubois chin, which toppled the 27-year-old bigger man over on his back. The Londoner was stunned as he laid spread out on the canvas, propped on one elbow before his corner threw in the towel as the referee reached the count of nine. Advertisement Most read in Boxing 5 Usyk dropped to his knees after being crowned undisputed heavyweight world champion for the second time Credit: PA CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS And fans were stunned by the new angle, with one writing: "Usyk made him bow." While another said: "Love the close-up footage." Advertisement A third added: "No one on the planet can live with this guy." Oleksandr Usyk has press conference in stitches as he NAMES the left hook that floored Daniel Dubois at Wembley 5 Usyk vs Dubois round by round as brutal knockout cements Ukrainian's place in history OLEKSANDR USYK cemented his name in the list of all-time boxing greats as he became a three-time undisputed champion with a fifth round knockout win over Daniel Dubois. Usyk dropped Dubois multiple times as he put any doubts about his first win over the Brit to bed by cementing the repeat and avoiding the revenge. Here, SunSport's ROUND ONE Usyk looks light on his toes, swaying side to side, Dubois plants his feet and walks forward. Stiff jab from Usyk appears to almost wake Dubois up and the Brit responds with a one-two. Usyk searches to the body with a left, blocks a right hand from Dubois and ends the round with a menacing combo. Usyk 10 Dubois 9 ROUND TWO Dubois lunges in with a right hand, Usyk expertly takes half a step back and responds with a counter left. Another right misses from Dubois and he takes a left cross which has him on shaky legs. Already Usyk is finding his rhythm, making Dubois miss and certainty making him pay. Usyk 10 Dubois 9 (Usyk 20 Dubois 18) ROUND THREE Usyk staggers back after a right hand from Dubois - maybe more off balance than hurt. Dubois charges forward with a left hook, right hand but Usyk covers up well. Huge left hook lands on the button from Usyk, sweat sprays off Dubois face. Usyk 10 Dubois 9 (Usyk 30 Dubois 27) ROUND FOUR Right uppercut lands on Usyk's belt-line in a genuine case of dejavu from low-blow gate in their first fight. Dubois traps Usyk in the corner, lands a right but the Ukrainian legend slips off before any troubling damage can be done. Left hand lands for Usyk but Dubois grabs on and closes the distance, smart defence to cap off his best round so far. Usyk 9 Dubois 10 (Usyk 39 Dubois 37) ROUND FIVE Right hook followed by a left hand lands for Usyk has Dubois teetering backwards. Dubois comes forward, charging at Usyk and the two trade off in the corner but DOWN GOES DUBOIS after a counter right hook. He makes it to his feet but is dropped with another left hook and the fight is over! Dubois fails to beat the count and Usyk is once again undisputed heavyweight world champion. Usyk wins by KO Usyk, who crumbled to his knees after making more history , later had the press conference in stitches when he revealed his nickname for the kind of left hook he used. The heavyweight champion, who holds all the belts again, actually calls Advertisement Undisputed first at cruiserweight, Usyk, became the first undisputed heavyweight champion in a quarter of a century, and the first of the four belt era, when he beat Tyson Fury last year. He never lost the IBF championship in the ring, but couldn't make a mandatory defence of that title when he went into an immediate rematch with Fury. That saw Usyk vacate the IBF belt ahead of his second points victory over Fury and Dubois, previously the Interim titlist, elevated to full champion. A third career defeat leaves Dubois in a difficult position and requiring another rebuild. Advertisement The Brit has not beaten a champion to claim a world title - he won the interim IBF belt and was subsequently elevated to full world champion before making one defence against Joshua. WBO interim heavyweight champion next . 'You just run out of things to say' – Usyk is a modern day great and one of the best boxers we have ever seen OLEKSANDR USYK is a modern day great and one of the best boxers we have ever seen. The Ukrainian Two of those came at heavyweight after he had already cleaned up the cruiserweight division. You just run out of things to say about Usyk. Everything that he does just impresses you more and more and more.
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Fury wants third fight with Usyk, Pacquiao draws on comeback
TYSON Fury has thrown his hat in the ring to fight new undisputed world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk for a third time. Former WBC-belt holder Fury was at BOXPARK Wembley on Saturday but did not stick around to watch Usyk dismantle fellow British boxer Daniel Dubois in scintillating fashion at the national stadium. Usyk's brutal fifth-round stoppage of Dubois made him undisputed world heavyweight champion for a second time after he initially won all the belts against Fury last May in Riyadh before he was forced to vacate his IBF title. Fury went into retirement after he tasted a second defeat to Usyk on a split decision last December but signalled his intentions to return earlier this month and served notice to the undefeated Ukrainian in the early hours of Sunday morning. During a video of Fury on a run on his Instagram, the 36-year-old 'Gypsy King' said: "Massive shout out to Oleksandr Usyk. He did a fantastic performance tonight over Daniel Dubois, a good, young, game lad who came for a good tear, so congratulations to both men but Oleksandr Usyk knows there is only one man who can beat him. "I did it twice before and the world knows it. I have been f***** good and proper. I took it like a man and here is me, not f****** around at some boxing match, I am out on the road running. "I am running tonight. I came home, I did my job and I got myself back and I am the man. I am the f****** spartan and no matter what anyone wants to say, I won those fights. Guaranteed, 100 per cent. There is only one man. GK (Gypsy King) all day every day. Get up!" Queensberry chief Frank Warren, Fury's promoter, acknowledged a third fight with Usyk would be "big" but reiterated WBO mandatory Joseph Parker is next in line. "Tyson has made it very clear to me he would love to fight at Wembley and would love do that fight. And it would be a big fight, I am quite sure of it," Warren admitted. "As a fan, I would like to see the Joe Parker fight. Joe deserves it, he is on a run himself similar to what Daniel was on and that is the fight that has been ordered. "One way or another it will either happen or Joe will fight for the vacant title." Usyk floored Dubois in the fifth round of a thrilling contest at Wembley Stadium on Saturday to once again become the undisputed heavyweight boxing world champion. The win saw Usyk retain his WBC, WBA and WBO belts and reclaim the IBF belt he vacated last year before a rematch with Fury, with Dubois upgraded to champion and then defending the title against Anthony Joshua last September. Usyk's skill was evident from the outset as he sidestepped everything thrown his way with deceptive ease and connected repeatedly with his jab, putting on a masterclass in counter-punching against an opponent 11 years younger than him. Usyk said: "38 is a young guy, remember! 38 is only (the) start! I want to say thank you to Jesus Christ. I want to say thank you to my team and Wembley, thank you so much! It's for the people. Nothing is next. It's enough, next, I don't know. I want to rest. My family, my wife, my children, I want to rest now. Two or three months, I want to just rest." Usyk, who improved his professional record to 24-0, is now a three-time undisputed champion, twice in the heavyweight division and once as a cruiserweight. Despite weighing in at a career-heaviest 227.3 pounds, Usyk floated around the ring with an almost balletic grace and prevented Dubois from making the most of his superior size. The Ukrainian comfortably outclassed his opponent in three of the first four rounds, but most of the damage was dealt out in a brutal fifth-round beatdown. The Ukrainian sent his opponent to the canvas with an overhand right, before a booming left hand right on the chin dashed Dubois' dreams and brought an end to the bout. Meanwhile, Manny Pacquiao's bid to become the oldest welterweight champion in boxing history fell short Saturday night as he failed to beat Mario Barrios at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. But he didn't lose, either. Instead, the 46-year-old Pacquiao and the 30-year-old Barrios fought to a majority draw, with one judge giving Barrios a 115-113 win and the other two judges scoring it a 114-114 draw. The result allowed Barrios (29-2-2, 18 KOs) to retain his WBC welterweight belt. "I thought I won the fight," Pacquiao said afterward. "I mean, it was a close fight. My opponent was very tough. It was a wonderful fight. It was good." Pacquiao (62-8-3, 39 KOs) already holds the record for oldest welterweight champion, winning the belt via split-decision over Keith Thurman in 2019. The Filipino legend was enshrined into the International Boxing Hall of Fame last month. Pacquiao dominated Saturday's fight early on, showing energy against his younger foe. Ultimately, though, CompuBox stats had Barrios landing more punches (120-101) and more jabs (45-20), though Pacquiao landed 81 power punches to Barrios' 75. Pacquiao held the lead on all three cards after 10 rounds, but Barrios took all three rounds on all three scorecards to avoid the upset. Age and stamina were definitely on Pacquiao's mind after the fight. "I need to continue my training for longer going into a championship fight," said Pacquiao, who lost his senatorial bid in the Philippines in May. "Because of the election, I started late, but it's OK. Of course I'd like a rematch. I want to leave a legacy and make the Filipino people proud." Don't tell that to Barrios. "His stamina is crazy," the champion said. "He's still strong as hell and his timing is real. He's still a very awkward fighter to try to figure out." As for a rematch, Barrios is ready. "I'll do the rematch. Absolutely. This was huge for boxing. I'd love to do it again." Reuters
Irish Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Anthony Joshua's shows true colours with two-word comment after Usyk KO's Dubois
Anthony Joshua has seemingly expressed a tinge of remorse after witnessing Oleksandr Usyk's knockout victory over Daniel Dubois. Dubois faced a tough defeat, being floored twice and ultimately stopped in the fifth round by Usyk at Wembley on Saturday night. This came 10 months following Dubois' own triumph over Joshua in an identical round at the same venue. With this win, Usyk reclaimed his title as the undisputed heavyweight world champion for the second time against a British opponent. Joshua has not fought since last September but is expected to return later this year. And asked by The Stomping Ground if he had contacted Joshua after Usyk's win, promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed he had told his fighter: "We should have beaten Dubois," to which Joshua replied simply: "I know." Joshua has yet to announce an opponent for his return to the ring but momentum has swung behind a fight with YouTuber Jake Paul who recently outpointed Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Paul was at ringside at Wembley to see Usyk remain undefeated and faced off with the Ukrainian after the final bell as he chases an MMA fight with the 38-year-old. But his focus is on a clash with Joshua - and Paul has targeted the national stadium as host venue. "It's going to happen, it's going to happen," Paul told talkSPORT. "I want it to happen here (Wembley). All the odds stacked against me. I believe that I will beat him and shock the world and create one of the biggest upsets in boxing history." And Hearn revealed he plans further discussions with Nakisa Bidarian, CEO of Paul's Most Valuable Promotions company. "It sounds like Anthony Joshua is going to fight Jake Paul," added Hearn. "If he is true to his word, if he really wants the fight... the fight will happen. "I can't believe... its great that Tyson Fury is saying Jake Paul is going to win... maybe I've lost my mind. If they truly want the fight, I'm going to speak to Nakisa next week, we can make the fight that does the biggest numbers in the sport. Forget Canelo vs Crawford, it doesn't touch the surface of AJ against Jake Paul. "If you want to do the biggest numbers in the sport, we will make it happen, but be careful what you wish for. This ain't a game, this ain't a YouTube video, this isn't numbers or algorithms, this is physically dangerous. But if you want to do it, we'll do it. I'm not going to argue about it, I'm just telling Jake Paul this is real and he has to understand the consequences that come with a fight like this."
