Latest news with #TommyBurns
The Independent
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
What are the best nights in Australian boxing?
This weekend, live and exclusive on DAZN, Jai Opetaia will defend his IBF cruiserweight title against Claudio Squeo in Broadbeach, Australia. Opetaia, 27-0 (21), recognised as the world's best cruiserweight, is having his second consecutive fight at the Gold Coast Convention Centre following three matches in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and one at Wembley Arena in London. Big-time boxing rarely goes to Australia but when it does, the Australians are some of the most-passionate, vocal fans. Tommy Burns vs. Jack Johnson, 1908 Perhaps the most significant boxing match on Australian soil happened 117 years ago when the heavyweight championship of the world changed hands between the Canadian Tommy Burns, 47-4-8 (35), and the American Jack Johnson, 53-11-8 (33). Burns is chiefly remembered today for two things – being the shortest heavyweight champion at 5'7', and for losing his title to Johnson at Sydney Stadium. Johnson had been chasing Burns all over the globe, following the Canadian to the UK, Ireland, France, and then Australia, goading and taunting the champion for seven fights. Eventually, Burns acquiesced and made Johnson the first black fighter to compete for the world heavyweight championship. It was over in fourteen rounds when, after a tremendous beating, Burns was rescued by the police from further punishment (the fear of a riot was also a factor). Johnson would go on the road afterwards and the racist plot to oust him end up giving the world the phrase 'Great White Hope'. Danny Green vs. Roy Jones Jr, 2009 Fast forward nearly a century and Roy Jones Jr, 66-10 (47), was shifting from being the sport's pound-for-pound king to being the visiting, expensive attraction. Jones's fortunes had been dimming for the previous five years following consecutive losses to Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson, and he was increasingly irrelevant within the US. So in 2009, Jones went to Australia to face Danny Green, 36-5 (28), in a match that looked like a lucrative, stay-busy engagement. Green had other ideas, knocking out the former superstar in one round. There was some noise afterwards from Jones about the gloves, but Green showed the world that RJJ was no longer the best fighter on the planet. Afterwards, Jones lost widely to Bernard Hopkins on points, then began a wandering world tour: Moscow, Russia; Lodz, Poland; Riga, Latvia; and Krasnodar, Russia. At one point, he was scheduled to fight in Liverpool but then pulled out. He sprinkled in a few US fights here and there, in places far, far under the radar from the boxing mainstream. Green would go on to lose to both Tarver and Krzysztof Wlodarczyk but won his final five fights before retiring after his 2017 match against Anthony Mundine. Anthony Mundine vs. Shane Mosley, 2013 It is always a shame when a fighter takes bouts at the end of the career that sell solely off their name. Such it was in 2013 when Shane Mosley, 49-10-1 (41), once one of the world's top pound-for-pound fighters, went to Sydney to face Anthony Mundine, 48-11 (28). Despite his age, Mosley was winning the fight until an injury in the seventh, a development that led to Mundine being declared the winner by technical knockout. Mosley fight three more times, including two victories, before hanging up his gloves after a 2016 defeat to David Avanesyan. Manny Pacquiao vs Jeff Horn He may have been retired for years (and is coming back in a few weeks), but many still remember Manny Pacquiao's ill-fated journey to Brisbane where he faced Jeff Horn, 20-3-1 (13), at the Suncorp Stadium. Fighting in the blazing sunlight, Pacquiao, 62-8-2 (39), was on the short end of a very contentious unanimous decision, losing by scores of 115-113, 115-113, and 117-111. Despite protestations and noises of a rematch, the pair never met again. Watch the very best boxing with a DAZN subscription DAZN is the home of combat sports, broadcasting over 185 fights a year from the world's best promoters, including Matchroom, Queensberry, Golden Boy, Misfits, PFL, BKFC, GLORY and more. An Annual Saver subscription is a one-off cost of £119.99 / $224.99 (for 12 months access), that's just 64p / $1.21 per fight. There is also a Monthly Flex Pass option (cancel any time) at £24.99 / $29.99 per month. A subscription includes weekly magazine shows, comprehensive fight library, exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes documentaries, and podcasts and vodcasts.
Belfast Telegraph
06-05-2025
- General
- Belfast Telegraph
RNLI crews and Stena Line assist after boat starts taking in water off coast of Whitehead
Multiple RNLI crews attended the emergency request made yesterday morning from HM Coastguard. The Bangor and Donaghadee RNLI crews responded at 8.55am, with the Bangor lifeboat Ruby Robinson launched at 9.06am and arriving at the scene shortly after and the Donaghadee RNLI's all weather lifeboat. The incident also saw the Stena Line's Stena Superfast VII vessel stopping its commercial operation in case it was required for assistance. The RNLI said the crew of the casualty vessel managed to make their way to Whitehead unaided and with no danger to life or the environment and the lifeboats were stood down. Bangor RNLI Launch Authority Tommy Burns said: 'Today's call had a successful outcome. "The boat owner did absolutely the right thing by calling for assistance at the earliest opportunity. "We would also like to thank the crew of Stena Superfast VII and our colleagues at Donaghadee and in the Coastguard as well as those on our own lifeboat and our shore crew, for their joint efforts today.'
Daily Record
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
James Forrest is in Celtic 1 per cent and then some as Tommy Burns' odds are beaten into oblivion
James Forrest will never forget the words of Tommy Burns. As the winger eyes adding to his club-record haul of 26 medals, an early message from the Celtic icon has remained vital to his drive. Forrest 's progression from academy to most-decorated first-team star is a fairytale. Now 33, he's been at the top level ever since making his debut as a teenager for Neil Lennon in 2010 and scoring as a sub against Motherwell, but the tale goes back even further. As a school kid, Forrest was surrounded by hopefuls. Year on year, youngsters chasing the dream of making it with, unfortunately, most failing. Burns, a hero of the club and ex-player and manager and an inspirational figure as head of the youths at that stage, didn't hide the size of the challenge from the starlets. Forrest, just as Callum McGregor did, understood right then what was needed to get there and it has stayed with them throughout their first-team lives as he looked back and explained: 'I remember Tommy Burns, you used to have a meeting every year when you were 13s or 14s. 'He always used to say that the percentage of players that would come through and play at Celtic was one percent. 'There were so many thousands of kids in Scotland, or players from Ireland or wherever. It's just great that you've managed to come through and, obviously, make your debut, stay in the first team and just be a part of the success. 'Any player, older players or even first-team boys, anyone that's known Tommy, you can just remember the enthusiasm and everything he had. Cal obviously, he'll remember him in that way as well. He knew what it was like to play for Celtic and stuff like that. 'It's good for young boys that they have coaches and players that have played for Celtic and they can give you their experience and that can help you.' The debut was huge, but that was just first base. Sustained future success never entered the head as he continued: 'Even up until then, I never really thought about it. 'I just wanted to play for Celtic, I just thought that was the next step. When you're younger you don't think about it as much. 'Looking back now, I think it's obviously good for the family and obviously Neil Lennon at the time gave me a debut and obviously the youth coaches. 'You look back at the goal and you see the amount of players that were buzzing for you and that as well. 'At the time, you don't know what you're going to go on to do, you just want to play for Celtic and I've managed to do that.' While managing to stay within a variety of squads to become a dressing-room stalwart, Forrest has been presented with a host of challenges. Injury issues hampered him in stages. New arrivals threatened to take over. He's not been in squad at times. New managers had to be impressed. But, whatever obstacle has been placed in his way, Forrest has cast them aside to stay on his path and admits he's been through highs and lows on his way to overhauling Bobby Lennox's medal landmark. Forrest, who was visibly emotional and had teary-eyes at Tannadice after his hitting his astonishing landmark, said: 'No, that's spot on, I think the toughest time is probably when you've got a bad injury but as I said, maybe fans and that, you don't see that day to day. 'The players that are still playing, they help you through it. The staff and that as well are good. Aye, there's ups and downs, but definitely the ups outweigh the downs here, from what I've had anyway. Hopefully, there's a couple more to come before I finish. 'I think I've said for years, the loyalty from the club to me, and me to the club. it's just been a good fit throughout the years since I've come through and it's been better. 'I feel as though maybe it wouldn't have happened if the club wasn't successful in this era. It's just a thing that if the club's unsuccessful, the players move on. So, I think it's just kind of gone hand in hand. 'Aye, as I said, loyalty from me and the club has been great over the years. I've always wanted to just play here and it's been a really good feeling.' Old team-mates have lauded their mate and he added: 'I met loads of them at the end of last season. Georgios Samaras and Mikael Lustig came back for a legends game. Johnny Hayes is working at the club. I still speak to Broony all the time, KT, Tom Rogic. 'There's loads of boys that I still keep in touch with. When they were doing well, I think all the boys were buzzing for them and it's the same with me. You can tell they're genuinely happy for the success of the boys and the team.' For Forrest, it's always been about the next target. More trophies are on the wish list, but a goal this term to make it 16 successive scoring seasons is also on the agenda. Fans roared from him to shoot every time he touched the ball at Tannadice last weekend and he laughed: 'I actually felt that! 'There was one at the end, I don't know if I started laughing when I was dribbling. I was nowhere near the goal and they were shouting me to shoot and I could feel the boys all wanting me to score as well. 'That's obviously a good thing as well. We've won the league, but you can see the fans, the players, the staff, they're wanting me to do well as well. So, hopefully, I can score before the end of the season.'
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Saint Tommy Burns? Group launches bid to canonise Celtic legend
A group has launched a campaign to have Celtic legend Tommy Burns canonised by the Catholic Church. Chris McLaughlin, Philip Church and Robert Docherty have been working to build a case for sainthood to present to the Bishop of Paisley, Bishop John Keenan, and appeal for the canonisation process to officially move forward. Their efforts have already had the blessing of the Burns family, prior to Tommy's wife Rosemary unexpectedly passing away last year. If put forward by the diocese, the case would then progress to the Vatican. If successful, the former Celtic player and manager would become just the second Scottish saint since the Reformation, following the martyr, St John Ogilvie. He would also become the first footballer in the world to be canonised. The idea to build and present a case came from a direct appeal from a friend of Burns, Father Robert Farrell. The priest has consistently said that he should be a saint since his passing from cancer in 2008. Tommy Burns (Image: SNS)Canon Law means five years must pass following the death of a person before a cause for canonisation can begin. The group are keen to get it moving as quickly as possible. Mr McLaughlin presented the case on the Diocese of Paisley podcast, which tells stories of the Catholic Church in the area. 'He signed for Celtic at the age of 17 in 1973 and debuted in the first team a couple of years later and had a successful career in football and then in coaching and management," he said. 'None of that, in itself, makes you a saint. What he's also known for is a life of extraordinary sanctity and holiness which basically anybody who knew him seems to be able to talk about at some length. He was a daily mass goer, he prayed a great deal, his religion meant a great deal to him and he put it into action in a concrete way. 'He went out of his way to help many people and do extraordinary acts of kindness all through his life. One of the reasons this got started was myself and two friends knew a priest who was very close to him and right from the minute Tommy died he had been talking about how this man is a saint and how people had to seriously think about taking it forward. 'Long story short, he managed to convince one of my friends who convinced me and now we're working on it. 'Tommy knew a great many priests. There were two in particular I also know and there was a priest called Fr Robert Farrell, and right from the early days insisted Tommy was a saint. There is a moratorium on opening causes for sainthood for five years after someone dies. For the immediate five years it generally isn't dealt with. READ MORE Celtic great Tommy Burns, the Iranian refugee and Scotland's untapped talent pool 'I fell in love with Scotland', a Nigerian priest on hope and breaking cycles of hate 'The Pope has the power to dispense with that in certain circumstances but generally five years is the minimum period of time. Once that period elapsed, Fr Robert had been leaning on anyone who would listen that someone had to take it on and really look into it. 'Because Tommy died at home in Newton Mearns and because it is in the diocese of Paisley, what canon law says is the bishop of the diocese where the deceased person died is the person who has jurisdiction so in this instance it was the bishop of Paisley, which is currently Bishop John Keenan. 'We approached him with our thoughts and he gave us some advice about exactly what to do next and what it amounts to is in the first case, Bishop John will have to make a decision on whether a cause for canonisation is officially opened and that's what we are currently working on. 'At this moment in time we don't have to prove Tommy was a saint but we firmly believe he was. We have to show there is good reason to believe he might be a saint and if Bishop John is convinced of that he would formally open the cause and then there's a dicastery in Rome which become the officiating party. 'There's a prescription set out in Canon Law about what we need to demonstrate to the bishop to get the cause open and essentially it boils down to two things in the main. The first is we have to show the person had a reputation for holiness and sanctity. Everyone who knew Tommy can speak to that point. "The second is we have to show there is a cult of Tommy which essentially means people have been asking for his intercession. People who have been asking for favours from heaven. Very early on we have met people who have been doing precisely that. Once we gather the evidence we will put the case to the bishop and he will decide if the cause is officially opened.' The group are now asking people to help them gather evidence of Mr Burns' good deeds and religious beliefs because a lot of what he did, he did without publicity. In a direct appeal Mr McLaughlin told the podcast: 'One of the things we are keen to have people help us with is that we are very aware that many of the things Tommy did in life he kept quiet, he didn't seek publicity for them. 'We know he would come home quite late in the evening and when asked where he was, he would say it was nothing important and later it would be discovered he had spend several hours visiting the sick children's hospital or something like that. "We know Tommy did some extraordinary things quietly and the nature of that is we don't know everything he did do. We're confident there are thousands of people who have stories of Tommy and we'd like to hear them because they will be very important as the case progresses.'
