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Irish Examiner
43 minutes ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Oleksandr Usyk proves too strong again for Daniel Dubois at Wembley
Daniel Dubois' undisputed world heavyweight dreams went up in smoke under the Wembley arch after he tasted defeat to Oleksandr Usyk for a second time. Home favourite Dubois was back at the national stadium 10 months on from his stunning knockout win over Anthony Joshua and in the ring with Usyk for a second time. Usyk had shown his class during a one-sided contest in Krakow in 2023, where Dubois was adjudged to have landed an illegal low blow in the fifth round, but the Ukrainian had been warned throughout fight week he would face a 'different' boxer on this occasion. Daniel Dubois was beaten in the fifth round (Bradley Collyer/PA) Yet, the undefeated 38-year-old again proved too strong for Dubois. After Usyk enjoyed the better of the opening four rounds, he produced a masterful fifth-round finish to further cement his status as one of boxing's all-time greats. After Usyk put Dubois down with a powerful right punch, the British boxer bravely made it back to his feet but was floored again a matter of seconds later by a huge left hook to lose for a third time. It earned Usyk the 24th win of a stellar professional career and ensured he got his hands back on the IBF title to add to his WBA, WBO and WBC belts and become undisputed in the blue riband division for a second time, in what was dubbed his penultimate bout.
Irish Examiner
43 minutes ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Luke Humphries stunned by Gian van Veen in World Matchplay opener
World number one Luke Humphries' hopes of defending his World Matchplay crown were ended on the opening night as he crashed out to Gian van Veen. Humphries was hoping to become just the fourth man to defend his title in Blackpool after he won for the first time in 2024. But he was not at his best at the Winter Gardens and was downed 10-8 by the Dutchman van Veen, who celebrated the best win of his career. VAN VEEN DETHRONES HUMPHRIES! 🤯 What a moment for Gian van Veen! The young Dutchman secures his first win on the Winter Gardens stage with a thrilling 10-8 victory over reigning champion Luke Humphries!#MatchplayDarts | R1 — PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) July 19, 2025 Humphries' exit will make Luke Littler the overwhelming favourite for the event, with the teenager kicking off his campaign against Ryan Searle on Sunday. Despite not being at his best, Humphries still had chances to beat Van Veen but could only convert 28 per cent of his double attempts. Van Veen made his move to break at 7-7 and then eventually got over the finishing line on his fourth match dart. 'This feels like the biggest win of my career, to be here at the iconic Winter Gardens,' he said. 'Finally I got that winning double and this is the biggest win of my career. The defending champion had a difficult evening in Blackpool (Taylor Lanning/PDC) 'I guess this makes me the number one seed! I am just going to enjoy this one tonight. 'It means the world, I felt really relaxed on the stage, to beat the reigning champion and world number one, it's an amazing feeling. 'Luke is a true champion, a great guy and the true world number one. To beat the world number one is amazing but it is just one game. I take it game by game.' James Wade celebrated 20 successive years at the World Matchplay by coasting to a 10-3 win over Joe Cullen. Wade threw his best-ever average at the Winter Gardens of 104.44, hitting 10 out of 15 doubles. THE MACHINE MARCHES ON! 👏 📊 104.44 average💪 67% on the doubles James Wade – featuring in his 20th consecutive World Matchplay – produces his highest ever average on the Winter Gardens stage to storm through to round two!#MatchplayDarts | R1 — PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) July 19, 2025 He hit out at anyone who believes he cannot win the title next week, referencing an old spat with Sky Sports pundit Wayne Mardle who once questioned him. 'I can do it again, 100 per cent. I'm good enough to win this tournament. I mean, I think if anyone believes any different, I think they're a little bit Wayne Mardle-d. 'But I respect Wayne as well. I mean, Wayne's a wonderful person. He's got great knowledge of the game. I think he writes quite a few other players off. 'But I can win this tournament. Of course, again, it's no secret.' Danny Noppert beat Cameron Menzies 10-2, setting up a second-round meeting with Van Veen.
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Dublin overcome Galway after extra time to secure All-Ireland ladies football final showdown with Meath
TG4 LGFA All-Ireland semi-final: Dublin 3-14 Galway 2-14 (after extra-time) Carla Rowe's audacious flick for a decisive goal at the start of the second half of extra-time will be the clip that will go viral during the week, but it was Hannah Tyrrell's composure under pressure that was the single-most significant play in Dublin's return to an All-Ireland final. A golden generation of Galway footballers has known any number of agonising hard luck stories in recent years, but none will haunt them as much as their inability to manage possession with a one-point lead and 60 seconds left on the clock at the end of normal time. All evening, sloppy handpassing had been the westerners' weak point. Their bravery and endeavour meant that they prevented plenty of inaccurate passes from becoming turnovers, but Dublin did pick up a fair share of their possession from unforced errors, and that made Galway's decision to try and keep the ball a risky one. They gave away one possession and then their second saw Aoife Molloy surrounded and then pinged for overcarrying, with time almost expired. Read More Meath impressively dethrone Kerry to book All-Ireland Ladies football final spot Tyrrell's free would have been a two-pointer in the men's game, but splitting the uprights from over 40 metres out was invaluable, as it sent the contest into overtime at 1-10 to 0-13, and it was only then that Dublin finally looked like the better team. Galway played with the breeze for the first ten minutes but only got one Olivia Divilly point in that period, while Dublin kicked three. Rowe's flamboyant finish made it 2-13 to 0-14, and a third goal from Kate Sullivan seemed to kill off the game, only for consecutive green flags from Andrea Trill and Divilly to leave 40 seconds of tension at the end. It wasn't just the closing minute of normal time that Galway will regret however. They also had the breeze in the first half-hour, but a string of missed goal chances meant that they were only level at the interval, 0-9 to 1-6. Olivia Divilly, Kate Geraghty and Nicola Ward all went well for the Connacht county but on another day, Kate Slevin could have had two goals instead of a single point and Louise Ward hit the crossbar, albeit Dublin also struck woodwork through Nicole Owens. Dublin managed the play well however, taking chunks of time off the clock for each attack at a time when anything more than 30 metres from goal was outside of scoring range. Rowe kicked two good points and Caoimhe O'Connor was devastatingly effective, winning a penalty which Tyrrell converted, and leading the race for player of the match before she went down injured shortly before half-time. Perhaps due to the absence of O'Connor and perhaps due to the natural balance between two teams that also needed 80 minutes to separate them in a quarter-final last year, Dublin failed to exploit the breeze and in a tense encounter that was high on tempo but also high on error count, it wasn't until Kate Sullivan hooked a shot over the bar with her right foot in the 45th minute that a score was registered in the second half. Neither side shot a wide in the first half while Dublin had three after the break, meaning the contest was still finely poised going into the closing minutes, 1-9 to 0-12. Andrea Trill came off the bench to score what could have been the winner with her first involvement, but the little bit of composure that Galway lacked to see things out, Tyrrell showed in spades with her season-transforming free kick. Scorers for Dublin: H Tyrrell (1-6, 0-5f, 1-0 pen), C Rowe (1-2), K Sullivan (1-1), N Hetherton (0-2), S Goldrick (0-1), O Nolan (0-1), S McIntyre (0-1). Scorers for Galway: O Divilly (1-3), R Leonard (0-5, 0-4f), A Trill (1-1), E Noone (0-3, 0-1f), K Slevin (0-2, 0-1f). DUBLIN: A Shiels; J Tobin, L Caffrey, N Crowley; M Byrne, N Donlon, H McGinnis; É O'Dowd, N Hetherton; C O'Connor, S Goldrick, N Owens; H Tyrrell, C Rowe, K Sullivan. Subs: O Nolan for O'Connor (27), L Grendon for Rowe (39), S McIntyre for Owens (47), Rowe for Hetherton (52), Hetherton for McGinnis (full-time), A Kane for Byrne (73), H Leahy for Donlon (74), C Darby for Rowe (76), A Timothy for Sullivan (76). GALWAY: D Gower; K Geraghty, C Trill, B Quinn; H Noone, N Ward, A Molloy; L Ward, S Divilly; N Divilly, O Divilly, A Davoren; E Noone, R Leonard, K Slevin. Subs: L Noone for N Divilly (half-time), K Thompson for Leonard (41), L Coen for Davoren (50), A Trill for Slevin (57), M Glynn for S Divilly (70), M Banek for Quinn (h-t in e-t), Davoren for Coen (h-t in e-t), Slevin for L Noone (h-t in e-t), C Cooney for Molloy (75), S Lynch for Banek (77). Referee: Seamus Mulvihill (Kerry).
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Cian Ducrot review: Homecoming to remember with two sold-out nights at the Marquee
Cork singer-songwriter Cian Ducrot celebrated a homecoming to remember at the first of two sold-out gigs at Live at the Marquee on Saturday night. The rain which fell from early afternoon in the city didn't stop fans from flocking to the Marquee to witness the first of the All For You singer's two shows at the tented venue. Ducrot, who had previously shared how much he loves coming back home to play on Cork soil, was met with cheers and screams as he walked on stage, arms outstretched. Ducrot's effortless ability to connect with his audience was immediately clear, with his set inspiring raw, hand-on-heart emotion from the audience. Ducrot's songs, which explore themes of love, loss, heartbreak and personal struggles, and focus on emotional honesty and vulnerability, resonated with the crowd from the beginning. Getting right into his set, he kicked the night off with an upbeat performance of Who's Making You Feel It which had the Marquee crowd dancing and singing along. He then took to his piano for a solo to kick off his next song Little Dreaming before continuing the upbeat set with Heaven and Shalalala. 'Cork, how are you? This is the most incredible feeling that I have ever felt. I just want to say I love you so, so much,' he said, letting the crowd know how much it meant to him that his fans managed to sell-out two back-to-back shows at the venue - his first time playing the iconic venue. Fresh from a string of gigs in the UK, the Passage West-raised singer continued the gig by asking the crowd to 'raise your hands if you've had your heart broken recently' before choosing to bring fan Orlaith up on stage. Both sitting on the piano, he dedicated his next song The Book Of Love to Orlaith. The only time the Marquee fell silent was when Ducrot swapped his guitar for the flute for Kiss And Tell, a nod to just how talented the musician is at turning his hand to the many instruments he can play. Cian Ducrot playing Live at the Marquee. Picture: Larry Cummins Supporting Ducrot on Saturday night was country pop group Remember Monday. The group, consisting of members Lauren Byrne, Holly-Anne Hull and Charlotte Steele, gained prominence after appearing on The Voice UK in 2019 and went on to represent the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 with the song What the Hell Just Happened?. Singer-songwriter Hetta Falzon will warm the crowd up at Sunday night's gig at the Marquee before Ducrot takes to the stage for a second night. Raised in Cork, Ducrot studied music in London before moving back to Ireland to pursue his dream. He rose to fame with his singles All For You and I'll Be Waiting, both of which gained popularity via TikTok and charted highly in Ireland following their release in 2022. He went on to make his main stage debut at Electric Picnic in 2023 which he previously described as a stand-out moment in his career to date. His debut studio album Victory was released on August 4, 2023, and reached number 1 in the UK and Ireland. With over 801 billion streams, Ducrot's music continued to make an impact long after the release of his first album and he went on to play to a total of 36,000 people across two headline shows in Dublin and Cork before touring as support for Calum Scott across North America. Most recently, he introduced a handful of new tracks in the shape of Here It Is, Something I Can't Afford, Can't Even Hate You, and Your Eyes and received his first Grammy nomination as the co-writer of SZA's smash hit Saturn. Ducrot is also set to play a headline concert at Dublin's 3Arena on Saturday, December 20.
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Was axing of Stephen Colbert's 'Late Show' part of culture war or ratings decline?
US late-night television had been fighting for its survival even before The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was cancelled on Friday. The announced end of one of the most popular broadcast late-night shows, days after host Stephen Colbert accused the network owner of bribing US president Donald Trump to approve a merger, drew cries of political foul play from liberal politicians, artists and entertainers. "Stephen Colbert, an extraordinary talent and the most popular late-night host, slams the deal. Days later, he's fired. Do I think this is a coincidence? NO," Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent, wrote on X. CBS executives said in a statement that dropping the show was "purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night. It is not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount." Whether or not politics were at play, the late-night format has been struggling for years, as viewers increasingly cut the cable TV cord and migrate to streaming. Younger viewers, in particular, are more apt to find amusement on YouTube or TikTok, leaving smaller, aging TV audiences and declining ad revenues. Americans used to religiously turn on Johnny Carson or Jay Leno before bed, but nowadays many fans prefer to watch quick clips on social media at their convenience. Advertising revenue for Colbert's show has dropped 40% since 2018 - the financial reality that CBS said prompted the decision to end 'The Late Show' in May 2026. One former TV network executive said the programme was a casualty of the fading economics of broadcast television. Fifteen years ago, a popular late-night show like The Tonight Show could earn $100m (€86m) a year, the executive said. Recently, though, The Late Show has been losing $40m (€34m) a year, said a person briefed on the matter. The show's ad revenue plummeted to $70.2m (€60.4m) last year from $121.1m (€104.1m) in 2018, according to ad tracking firm Guideline. Ratings for Colbert's show peaked at 3.1m viewers on average during the 2017-18 season, according to Nielsen data. For the season that ended in May, the show's audience averaged 1.9m. Comedians like Colbert followed their younger audiences online, with the network releasing clips to YouTube or TikTok. But digital advertising did not make up for the lost TV ad revenue, the source with knowledge of the matter said. The TV executive said reruns of a hit prime-time show like Tracker would leave CBS with 'limited costs, and the ratings could even go up". The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is just the latest casualty of the collapse of one of television's most durable formats. When America's The Late Late Show host James Corden left in 2023, CBS opted not to hire a replacement. The network also canceled After Midnight this year, after host Taylor Tomlinson chose to return to full-time stand-up comedy. But the end came at a politically sensitive time. Paramount Global PARA.O, the parent company of CBS, is seeking approval from the Federal Communications Commission for an $8.4bn (€7.2bn) merger with Skydance Media. This month, Paramount agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by Trump over a 60 Minutes interview with his 2024 Democratic challenger, Kamala Harris. Colbert called the payment 'a big fat bribe' two days before he was told his show was cancelled. Many in the entertainment industry and Democratic politicians have called for probes into the decision, including the Writers Guild of America and Senator Edward Markey, who asked Paramount chair Shari Redstone whether the Trump administration had pressured the company. Paramount has the right to fire Colbert, including for his political positions, Markey said, but 'if the Trump administration is using its regulatory authority to influence or otherwise pressure your company's editorial decisions, the public deserves to know'. A spokesperson for Redstone declined comment. "It's a completely new world that artists and writers and journalists are living in, and it's scary," said Tom Nunan, a veteran film and TV producer who is co-head of the producers programme at UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television. "When the news came in about Colbert, we were shocked but not surprised." Reuters
