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Daily Mirror
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
'I know where Anthony Joshua has gone wrong – nobody will dare tell him'
Anthony Joshua has suffered a fall from grace following his knockout defeat to Daniel Dubois, and one former world champion has raised suspicions around his camp Former cruiserweight world champion Johnny Nelson believes Anthony Joshua 's days of challenging for the biggest belts in boxing are over. And he has attributed the former world No. 1's fall from grace to his lack of a support network that will drive him to his best. It was only three years ago that Joshua, 35, was in contention to unify the heavyweight division before consecutive losses to Oleksandr Usyk. The Olympic gold medal-winner then appeared to be back on the rise after putting together four straight wins, only to suffer a devastating fifth-round knockout defeat to Daniel Dubois last year. Nelson, who retired in 2006 after going a decade undefeated, believes the boxing world has "seen the best" of Joshua. He at least partially blamed his plummet from the world title spotlight on 'AJ' not having the right people in his entourage. "It's very hard to have people around you that'll tell you how it is," said 'The Entertainer' in an interview with Mirror Sport, courtesy of "You're going to have people around you that want to stay in your employment, stay in that circle. So they're going to tell you stuff that you want to hear. "They're not going to tell you, 'You need to be doing this, you need to get a hand up, you're getting hit, you're getting beat up by this guy here. Why are you doing that? Why aren't you running this time? Why are you going to open that crisp packet when you should be in the gym?'" Nelson determined: "Nobody on his squad are going to dare tell him that with any conviction. And so now all of a sudden the roles have changed, whereas when you're hungry, and you need it, they want to drag you up. "Now he's the boss. They work for him. And so that's where the problem is. And I think that along with time, along with age, along with experience, along with appetite, once they get out of kilter [it's over]. AJ's in that position." There was a palpable sense of regret in AJ's voice when he witnessed Usyk's knockout of Dubois at Wembley on Saturday. Promoter Eddie Hearn told his fighter they "should have beaten Dubois," to which the former world champion replied simply: "I know." Joshua's undefeated career came to an end when he suffered another surprise loss in June 2019, a seventh-round stoppage at the hands of Andy Ruiz. Although he avenged that loss just six months later, it served as another example of the Briton's oversight. His two decision defeats to Usyk could hardly be considered lamentable given the Ukrainian's success since moving up to heavyweight. But the same perhaps can't be said for his IBF title clash against Dubois, particularly in the form he was in at the time. However, it's perhaps pertinent that each of those unexpected losses to Ruiz and Dubois came at points when AJ was enjoying surging highs in his career. The former materialised when Joshua was 22-0 and held the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO belts, while Dubois got the better of him just when it seemed he was back on top, having finished each of his previous three fights. He now faces an uncertain future, with a clash against YouTuber Jake Paul being mooted, while speculation of a Tyson Fury matchup are never far. Nelson went on to liken his situation to that of former training partner Prince Naseem Hamed, who was a world-beater at one stage himself. "I've been around Prince Naseem, an amazing fighter. And I was around him from the very beginning of his career," he continued. "But then all of a sudden he started to surround himself with yes men. He deleted all the people that kept him grounded and said it how it was to him to keep him real. "And the more yes men he surrounded himself with, the more his boxing life turned into chaos. He lost fights he shouldn't have done. He was surrounding himself by the swimming pool in Bob Hope's house when [Marco Antonio] Barrera was up in the mountains training. And he's saying, 'Yeah, I don't have to do this.' There was nobody around him to say, 'What are you doing?' It's the same with a lot of modern fighters now." The money on offer to boxing's elite today is bigger than ever, and Nelson is happy for Joshua that he's made enough to make a clean getaway from the sport. But while some may scratch their head as to why Britain's former poster boy hasn't quite lived up to his full potential, there's a sense those around Joshua have to carry some of the blame.
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler's relationship clear to see with apology and wife joke
Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler have been the dominant forces in golf in recent years but the golf icons share a healthy mutual respect and admiration off the course Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler may have spent a chunk of the 2025 golf season fiercely competing, but their respect for one another goes far. The pair have enjoyed an impressive year. Scheffler, 29, recently secured his fourth major, and second of 2025, with victory in the 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush. Meanwhile, McIlroy, 36, completed his career Grand Slam in April by claiming the Masters for the first time. Despite their rivalry, the pair share a history of good-natured banter and mutual respect, reports Belfast Live. McIlroy even predicted Scheffler's recent triumph at The Open. From cheeky remarks about prison sentences to quips about Scheffler's wife, and even a meeting between McIlroy and his rival's mum and dad, Mirror Sport takes a closer look at the friendship between Scheffler and McIlroy. McIlroy praises "different level" Scheffler McIlroy voiced his respect for Scheffler after the world No. 1's breathtaking display at Portrush, with the Holywood star trailing seven shots behind the victorious Scheffler. "I wish I had have been closer to Scottie going into today and been able to make a real push but he's been on a different level all week and he's been on a different level for the last two years to the rest of us," said McIlroy. "None of us could live with what he had this week. He is the bar that we're all trying to get to at this point, so hats off to him. "In a historical context, you could argue that there's only maybe two or three players in the history of the game that have been on a run, the one that Scottie's been on here for the last 24 to 36 months. Incredibly impressive. "He's been absolutely amazing over these past two to three years. He's an unbelievable player, an incredible champion and a great person too." Scheffler's US Open response The mutual admiration flows in both directions. Following McIlroy's heartbreaking defeat at the US Open last year, where he was pipped to the post by Bryson DeChambeau, the New Jersey-born Scheffler chose not to flood his mate with texts, instead allowing him space to come to terms with the crushing loss. "As far as reaching out to Rory, I didn't," Scheffler said in July 2024. "He took the next week off at The Travelers [championship] and it seemed to me like he wanted his space and so just felt like giving us his space was the best thing to do." McIlroy's words for Scheffler's parents Their respect runs so deep that McIlroy even made time for Scheffler's mum and dad. In August 2022, McIlroy claimed the FedEx Cup for a third time in his career to beat Scheffler to the prize. After departing the 18th, McIlroy bumped into Scheffler's parents, Scott and Diane. With typical class, the Northern Irish superstar told the couple that their son "deserved" the triumph following a campaign that also saw him claim three PGA Tour victories and his maiden major at the Masters. "I'm sorry," McIlroy said. "He deserves it. He's had an unbelievable year." Scheffler's father replied: "So did you. Good playing". Diane also commended McIlroy. Scheffler on McIlroy's Masters triumph Scheffler paid McIlroy the ultimate compliment by assisting him into the prestigious green jacket following his Masters victory this year. Speaking afterwards, Scheffler praised the 2025 champion. "In that moment, like it was such an emotional day for him, I kind of just tried to stay out of the way and basically get the jacket on without embarrassing him or myself," Scheffler told reporters. "It was brilliant to witness Rory finally get over the line. Certainly from the outside it appeared more like relief than anything else. Rory has achieved everything in the sport of golf, and that was truly the final piece of the puzzle for him." McIlroy's jail crack Scheffler may be the planet's top golfer, but his reputation took a temporary hit following an incident in which, during one morning in 2024, while trying to reach Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, for the PGA Championship, officers claim he unlawfully drove around a crash scene. He faced charges and had his police mugshot taken before ultimately being freed. Scheffler subsequently described the episode as a "big misunderstanding." Nevertheless, McIlroy completely understood the situation and couldn't help but tease Scheffler about the embarrassing episode. After Xander Schauffele's victory, McIlroy commented on Scheffler's T8 finish: "The fact that the only thing that took him from winning a golf tournament was going into a jail cell for an hour." Scheffler hit back after McIlroy's wife jibe Scheffler had a witty response to McIlroy's comments over a hand injury that kept Scheffler out of action at the turn of the year. The 29-year-old cut himself on a broken wine glass while cooking ravioli on Christmas Day and missed the opening two events of the PGA Tour. McIlroy queried: "Like, why are you cooking yourself? I was hoping it was going to be more of a fun story than that. It's good that he's tearing it up this week, but yeah, get a chef." Never to let McIlroy have the last word, Scheffler later hit back: "I got a chef. Her name is Meredith [Scheffler's wife]. She's pretty cute." However, word on whether Meredith found the jibe funny isn't clear.
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Liverpool agree fee for Hugo Ekitike as Frankfurt star to become latest new signing
Liverpool have agreed a £69m up front fee with £10m in add ons for Eintracht Frankfurt forward Hugo Ekitike, with the add ons subject to both the club and player reaching certain targets. There will be more to follow on this breaking news story and Mirror Sport will bring you the very latest updates, pictures and video as soon as possible. Please check back regularly for updates on this developing story. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Rory McIlroy 'probably regrets' comment he made at The Open as fellow star issues apology
Now The Open Championship has come to an end, Mirror Sport takes a look at some of golf's biggest talking points right now, including a regret one star thinks Rory McIlroy will have World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler proved why he is considered the best player on the planet by winning The Open at a canter. The Texan won his fourth major with a four-shot victory over nearest challenger Harris English, while Rory McIlroy had to settle for a T7 finish with Robert Macintyre. It was another tournament that wasn't without its challenges for the Northern Irishman, who has struggled to show his best form since completing his career grand slam earlier in the year. As can be the case, McIlroy's words and opinions saw him talk his way into this weekend's headlines. He was particularly complimentary to Scheffler, who was in a world of his own at Royal Portrush. Now the major is over, Mirror Sport takes a look at the biggest talking points, including something McIlroy may regret. Comment Rory McIlroy 'probably regrets' While McIlroy was six strokes behind Scheffler, he started waxing lyrical about the world No. 1. Despite the fact they are often the two favourites going into competitions at present, McIlroy is often complimentary about his rival. However, his previous comments raised some eyebrows. Speaking before the final round, McIlroy, when prompted about Scheffler's form, said: "Whenever you're trying to chase down a guy like that, it's hard to do. He's incredibly impressive. Yeah, look, Scottie is, it's inevitable." McIlroy's comments quickly found their way into the headlines, so much so that McIlroy's close friend Shane Lowry believes he probably regrets his words. On McIlroy calling Scheffler's triumph "inevitable", the Irishman said: "I saw that interview, and I thought he probably regrets saying that word." The Open prize money McIlroy's efforts saw him take home a prize of around £336,000. It's a handsome figure, but it is still dwarfed by the cheque Scheffler took home. The world No. 1 earned £2.3million for his exceptional efforts in Portrush, taking his career earnings to a monstrous £68m. Meanwhile, McIlroy's finish took his career earnings to £79.56m. He is edging closer to the £80m mark and is now around £9.67m away from Tiger Woods' all-time figure of £89.9m. Scottie Scheffler's reaction to Tiger Woods comparison Speaking of Woods, Scheffler was recently compared to the golfing great after another stunning triumph. Lowry, who was partnered up with Scheffler at The Open, compared him to the 15-time major winner after watching him from close range. The 2019 Open champion said: "I played with him the first two days and, honestly, I thought he was going to birdie every hole. It was incredible to watch." Lowry also said: "I think if Scottie's feet stayed stable and his swing looked like Adam Scott's, we'd be talking about him in the same words as Tiger Woods. I just think because it doesn't look so perfect, we don't talk about him like that. I think he's just incredible to watch, and his bad shots are really good. That's when you know he's really good." However, Scheffler rolled his eyes at the Woods comparison and said: "I still think they're a bit silly. Tiger won, what, 15 majors? This is my fourth. I just got one-fourth of the way there. I think Tiger stands alone in the game of golf. "He was inspirational for me growing up. He was a very, very talented guy, and he was a special person to be able to be as good as he was at the game of golf. I don't focus on that kind of stuff." Wyndham Clark apology It was recently revealed that Wyndham Clark has been banned by Oakmont Country Club for causing damage at the US Open. Clark missed the cut at the Major in Pittsburgh and reacted furiously be damaging a locker in a huge outburst. A letter by club president John Lynch said Clark will be banned until he pays for damages, makes a "meaningful contribution" to a selected charity and undergoes counselling or anger management training. Clark made a start by apologising for his behaviour at the venue, which will next host the US Open in 2033. After finishing fourth at The Open, the Colorado ace said: "I did something awful, and I'm really sorry for it. Hopefully, they have it in their heart to forgive me, and maybe in the future I'll be able to play there. It's a fantastic course and place. But that's up to them.' He added: "I feel terrible about what happened. I'm doing anything I can to try to remedy the situation. Obviously it's a no-brainer to pay for the damages. That was a given. Then the apologies, and I want to give back to the community because I hurt a great place in Pittsburgh. I wanted to do anything I can to show them that what happened there was not a reflection of who I am and won't happen again. I want to show them who I really am."
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
BREAKING: Scottie Scheffler wins The Open as American star produces Portrush masterclass
Scottie Scheffler produced a masterclass to romp to victory at The Open at Royal Portrush. The American star shot 17 under par to finish four shots clear of nearest rival Harris English. There will be more to follow on this breaking news story and Mirror Sport will bring you the very latest updates, pictures and video as soon as possible. Please check back regularly for updates on this developing story.
