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The Sun
9 minutes ago
- The Sun
Moses Itauma vs Dillian Whyte LIVE RESULTS: Ball RETAINS title against Goodman ahead of huge main event
Frankly speaking Frank Warren reckons Moses Itauma is so calm and calculated that even the Planet's Baddest Man might struggle to scare him. The 73-year-old Hall-of-Famer told SunSport: 'Mike Tyson, in the early days, won 90 per cent of his fights outside the ring. "The intimidation was unbelievable. I mean, he really intimidated people. 'Most of the American heavyweight guys back then were from the streets but that's what he managed to do with a lot of them. 'There were a rare couple of fighters he couldn't intimidate, like Buster Douglas. "And he couldn't intimidate Evander Holyfield in any way, shape or form. 'And I think, with Moses, I think you have a hard job to intimidate him."
Daily Mail
9 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Applied Nutrition founder reveals why he teamed up with Coleen Rooney
Tom Ryder is aghast. I've just told the founder of sports supplements group Applied Nutrition about recently running a 10km in my fastest time for years without drinking any water during the race or taking any special products beforehand. He asks what kept me going. 'Jelly Babies,' I confess. He hands me a tube of endurance tablets packed with performance-enhancing electrolytes that help maintain hydration. 'Here, you'll go even faster if you have these,' he says in a distinct Scouse accent. Ryder is convinced that he has caught the wave of a health and wellbeing revolution. A report by retail research group Kantar found that sales of sports nutrition products surged by 45 per cent in the first five months of this year compared with the same period in 2024. They were the 'biggest winners' as customers shaped their diets around lifestyle choices 'with health, wellbeing and exercise apparently top of many people's minds', Kantar said. Ryder, 41, has also gained from the boom. He netted £67 million when shares in Applied Nutrition were listed on the London stock market last year. The share price has fallen back since then, but the company is still worth £330 million, valuing Ryder's remaining 34 per cent stake at £110 million. A trading update is due this week. His is a classic rags-to-riches story of a working-class lad from Liverpool who built a multi-million pound business from scratch. Raised by his grandparents on a Kirkby council estate following his father's death, Ryder opened his first store, Body Fuel, when he was 18, selling muscle-bulking protein powder, creatine and other supplements while working as a scaffolder for the local council. After six years juggling two jobs, Ryder created Applied Nutrition in 2014 and began working from a small factory in nearby Knowsley. The business has since mushroomed to become one of Europe's fastest growing brands. Ryder hasn't let success go to his head. The first time he felt financial freedom was when retailer JD Sports bought a significant stake in the business in 2021. He celebrated by buying a lawnmower. Ryder is a firm believer in personal discipline. 'I learnt from an early age that if you want something you have to make some sacrifices,' he says. One of those was not spending enough time with his eldest daughters when they were young and he was busy growing the business. He's now making up for lost time and admits to becoming 'a dance dad', taking them to numerous festivals and competitions in the North-West. The entrepreneur is happy to have bucked the trend of home-grown companies that have shunned the London stock market. Becoming a public company has been 'absolutely amazing, a dream come true', he says, adding: 'It's given us a lot of credibility.' He also seems relaxed about having a higher public profile, saying: 'I don't mind being in the limelight. This company is my life. It doesn't feel like work.' But he admits he 'completely underestimated' the extra red tape and reporting rules that came with being a quoted company. A 'great' team and board, chaired by AJ Bell investment platform founder Andy Bell, helped 'take that burden away from me'. Applied Nutrition started out selling protein shakes to muscle-bound body-builders in sweaty gyms, but it has evolved into 'a brand for everybody' that appeals to a wider range of consumers, Ryder says. So how does Applied Nutrition fit in to the weight-loss craze fuelled by drugs such as Ozempic? Ryder thinks it's going to amplify demand for supplements. Anyone on a weight-loss drug 'is more likely to make health-conscious choices' around protein, vitamins and hydration as 'they are not only losing fat, they are losing muscle, which is not great', he explains, adding: 'They can't eat, they've got no appetite so the alternative is supplements.' One of the 'mega-trends' he's tapping into is the move from women simply wanting to be skinny to women who want to be healthy, fit and strong. It's an audience Ryder is eager to reach. 'Wagatha Christie' celebrity Colleen Rooney has been hired as a brand ambassador to fuel demand for protein supplements among these health-conscious women. 'She has moved the dial and been a game-changer for us,' says Ryder. 'Her audience is exactly the female audience we are trying to appeal to.' Hiring the fellow Liverpudlian, who is also an investor in Applied Nutrition, seems to have paid off. 'Two years ago we were still very male-dominated,' Ryder says. But since then the number of female customers has shot up from 20 to more than 40 per cent, he reveals. To keep costs down Applied Nutrition mainly sells through distributors in local markets – exporting boxes of supplements from the Liverpool warehouse overseas to places such as the Gulf – but its products can also be found in major supermarkets and online. Targeting new audiences via social media channels comes with extra marketing costs. But having raised almost £160 million in the flotation, Ryder now has the financial firepower to continue expanding at home and abroad, especially in the US, where the company has an office in Dallas, Texas. The record price of whey – a vital ingredient in protein shakes – is 'a headwind', Ryder admits, but he has been able to pass on these cost increases to customers in the form of higher prices. That helps protect profit margins, which at 29 per cent are among the highest in the health and beauty sector – bigger even than those of French giant L'Oreal and only surpassed by Estee Lauder, according to stockbroker Panmure Liberum. This is remarkable given that Applied Nutrition is a traditional bricks-and-mortar wholesale business, operating from a single warehouse site on the outskirts of Liverpool. Ryder won't be drawn on the Government's raid on employers' National Insurance Contributions, which has hit many companies, especially growing ones like his, which now employs 200 staff. 'What can you do?' he asks. 'We don't get caught up in what goes on from a political standpoint. We just get on with what we've got to do.' So do the supplements he sells really work? Can they actually improve performance? Well, correlation does not equal causation, but after swallowing some of Ryder's endurance tablets a few days after the interview, I ran an even faster 10k time. Ryder will feel vindicated.
Metro
10 minutes ago
- Metro
Jamie Redknapp names two favourites to win Premier League
Jamie Redknapp has named his two favourites to win the Premier League title. Liverpool began their title defence with a 4-2 win over Bournemouth at an emotional Anfield on Friday night. Arne Slot's side, who won the league by ten points last season, looked set to drop points after Bournemouth came back from 2-0 down to level the match. But Liverpool scored two late goals to kick-start their 2025-26 campaign with three points. The Premier League's most successful team in recent years, Manchester City, also began the season strongly, Pep Guardiola's side thrashing Wolves 4-0. Metro's new weekly football newsletter: In The Mixer. Exclusive analysis, FPL tips and transfer talk sent straight to your inbox every Friday – sign up, it's an open goal. Man City endured a disappointing 2024-25 season, finishing third, but will be buoyed by their opening-day win at Wolves. The runners-up in each of the last three Premier League seasons, Arsenal, get their season underway on Sunday against Manchester United. Meanwhile Chelsea, who have been described as dark horses to win the title, begin the season with a London derby against Crystal Palace. Redknapp views Liverpool and Arsenal as the two favourites to win the title ahead of Manchester City and ultimately believes the defending champions are still the 'team to beat'. 'If Liverpool get Alexander Isak and Marc Guehi, it's not far off one of the best teams in Premier League history,' the former England midfielder told Hayters. 'I still think Liverpool are going to be the team to beat. I think they're the team to beat with or without Isak. 'Arsenal have got a chance, the summer signings give them a real chance. I think [Martin] Zubimendi will be as important as [Viktor] Gyokeres because he's that link in midfield. 'He's such a brilliant young footballer. Arsenal will go really close, they're a good side, they just need a bit of luck and things to go their way. 'It's going to be a titanic battle I think between those two [Liverpool and Arsenal]. 'Man City obviously have Rodri coming back, that's great for them. But I still think they're going to be short, they're going to miss Kevin De Bruyne. 'I fancy Liverpool and that's not because I played for them. I think they're still the team to beat. 'It's going to be a tough season in terms of what happened with Diogo Jota, that was just heartbreaking for everybody and we don't quite know how that's going to play out because he was loved by everyone. 'I'd like to see Liverpool do it again but Arsenal will run them close.' Man City have gone somewhat under the radar in the build-up to the new Premier League campaign but laid down a marker by dismantling Wolves. Erling Haaland scored twice but City summer signing Tijjani Reijnders stole the show with a goal and an assist on his Premier League debut. 'First half was good, second half was not as good as we thought but it is normal in this part of the season,' Guardiola said. More Trending 'It is just the first game my friends. Last game at Stamford Bridge we won 2-0 and were top of the league in September and October but then look what happened. 'So it is just the first game and it is good to start but there are many things still we have to improve.' Manchester City's Player of the Match, ex-AC Milan midfielder Reijnders, added to BBC's Match of the Day: 'It's a great start. 'Very happy with an assist and a goal and a very good win. It is a great start and we have to keep going now.' For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Why Arsenal pulled out of Eberechi Eze transfer race MORE: Virgil van Dijk sends message to Liverpool owners over Marc Guehi transfer MORE: Liverpool fan arrested after Antoine Semenyo 'racially abused' at Anfield
