Sporting News Review:
Posted by Rob Shepherd on Wednesday, May 10, 2017
The boxing delivered a knock-out performance and brought back fond memories of classic fights. Football is delivering both domestically and in Europe. In this bumper round-up of sporting news we look at the winners and losers of the last couple of weeks.
Let’s start off with a recap of the boxing action and what action it was! The much-anticipated fight between Britain’s Anthony Joshua and Ukrainian, Wladimir Klitschko.
Pre-fight this was a tough one to call and split boxing fans opinion right down the middle.
Klitschko, 41, is a living legend, along with his brother Vitali, they dominated the boxing heavyweight division for 10 years in what has been called the “Klitchko Era”. Klitchko went into the fight with 68 fights. Out of these 68, 64 were wins with 53 coming by way of knock-out. In his last fight, Klitschko suffered a surprise points defeat by Tyson Fury.
Joshua on the other hand is only 27. He started the sport late in life (18) and famously turned down £50,000 in his early career to turn professional stating “Turning down that £50,000 was easy. I didn’t take up the sport for money, I want to win medals.”
Anthony Joshua had a perfect record before the fight, 18 fights, 18 wins, 18 knock-outs. No one doubted Joshua’s pure power and punching ability. The question that were being asked about Anthony was about his stamina, the seventh round is the longest a professional fight has lasted that Joshua has fought.
So, who would prevail, the young English bulldog or the wiley old wolf?
Round 1: Round 1 was a typical opener, both fighters testing the opposition with the jab. Klitschko is looking light on his feet. A big combo is attempted but misses by AJ. Close round, AJ slightly ahead.
Round 2: Klitschko is the more active fighter and hits Joshua a few times with the right. Another round of the fighters feeling each other out with more feints than punches. Klitschko wins this one to level up the fight.
Round 3: We finally see AJ launch some powerful shots but a dancing Klitschko manages to avoid them landing. A cracking attempt of a right uppercut from AJ that misses will no doubt focus Klitschko, so far, his defence is holding. Joshua wins this round on work rate.
Round 4: Round 4 continues in the same vein, AJ is the more aggressive boxer but his somewhat predictable attack is being countered by Klitschko. Fortunately for the young Brit, Klitschko isn’t really taking advantage and seems content to let Anthony punch himself out. A slight win for Joshua in this round.
Round 5: Wow, just WOW! What a round of boxing! Joshua comes out firing on all cylinders and his quick punching is hurting Klitschko and with a left hook, Joshua knocks the Ukrainian to the floor. Klitschko beats the count but Anthony looks like he has nothing left in the tank and he is caught by a massive left hand. It now looks like Joshua is the one holding on. What a comeback! What a round!
Round 6: Joshua seemed to be recovering but then walks straight into a huge right hand from Klitschko and Joshua is knocked to the canvas for the first time in his professional career, this could be it, it could be all over.
Round 7: Survival instincts are kicking in for AJ and he is hogging the ropes trying to recover. 41-year-old Klitschko is outworking his younger opponent and you feel a combination at this stage will be enough for a knockout for the veteran boxer.
Round 8: Klitschko may regret not finishing this fight off in the 6th, AJ’s legs have recovered but he is still not attacking with the earlier fury. Klitschko is like a wasp, constantly annoying AJ with the jab.
Round 9: Klitschko is caught with a beautiful body shot early in the 9th but still Joshua looks like he is running on empty. Klitschko has dropped his pace which has allowed Joshua to recover. A close round, Joshua perhaps took that round but it was close.
Round 10: AJ seems to be recovered from his knock down and starts the round with a nice combo. Jabs are still the order of the day, another close round.
Round 11: If we thought that AJ was spent, he proved us wrong. From the opening bell, Joshua unleashes a blitz of punches at Klitschko. It was Klitschko’s turn to hang on to survive put Joshua landed some bone crunching hits that once again put Wladimir on his back. He gets up but he’s barely able to cover up, AJ is lining up the big one to end this fight. Another flurry of punches and it’s all over! AJ has won it, once again, wow just wow!
I must confess I have now watched the fight three times, it had everything. If anyone ever says that the Rocky films are farfetched, I would urge them to watch this amazing fight. Not since the days of Mike Tyson and Frank Bruno have I enjoyed a fight so much.
The Tyson Fury v Wladimir Klitschko was a good fight with Fury’s tactics outsmarting the experienced boxer but this fight was in a different league.
It now sounds like a re-match will be on the cards, I certainly hope so. There is also talk of an interim fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, this would certainly be an exciting prospect. This fight has awakened my hunger for boxing and now I’m greedy, I want more!
Chelsea Days Away from the Title
In football news, Chelsea only need to claim victory against West Brom on Friday to be confirmed champions. In the Monday night match, Chelsea swept aside Middlesbrough to all but claim the Premier League title. The 3-0 win at Stamford Bridge also confirmed that Middlesbrough will be relegated along with Sunderland to the Championship.
Hull Shock Defeat causes Tigers Jitters
It is not often that you describe a team sitting in 17th place, losing a game a surprise but that is exactly what it was. Hull City manager, Marco Silva has had an unbeaten home run since 2014, in that time teams managed by Silva had played 41 games, they won 34 and drew 7.
So, in many ways, it’s sad to see this unbelievable run come to an end. For relegated Sunderland to end this run will be a bitter pill to swallow for many Hull fans. This result means that Hull no longer control their own destiny, Sunday’s game against Crystal Palace could well determine Hull City’s fate.
Swans Swim to Safety?
For every loser, there is a winner and Swansea City’s surprise 1-0 win at home to Everton has given the Welsh team hope. The Swans are away to relegated Sunderland on 13th May and at home to eighth-placed West Brom on the 21st of May, the final day. The maths are pretty simple, If they win both games they will stay up. Hull for their part have games against Crystal Palace and a home visit of Tottenham. I guess the glimmer of hope for Hull is that the title is likely to be well finalised before the last day of the season so there is a chance that Tottenham may take that game easy, I doubt it but it could happen.
United Show Where Their Priorities Lie
Arsenal and Manchester United have produced a fair share of exciting contests over the years, the infamous “battle of the buffet”, the incredible 8-2 mauling of Arsenal in 2011, Roy Keane V Patrick Vieira, they were awesome. Pride, passion – everything football should be.
This game was nothing like that!
Even before the game, United’s team selection pointed towards preserving player fitness rather than a straight slugfest of a game. It appears Mourinho was willing to sacrifice his 25-match unbeaten run and also his personal 15-match unbeaten streak against Wenger to ensure players were rested in preparation for their Thursday semi-final 2nd leg against Celta Vigo.
A patient Arsenal were able to break down United and two goals in quick succession finished the game as a competition. One scored by Xhaka via a Herrera deflection and the other by United old boy, Marcus Rashford.
In the race for fourth, Arsenal have games against Southampton, Stoke, Sunderland and Everton. They also have the small matter of an FA Cup final against Chelsea on 27th May.
United have league games against Tottenham, Southampton and Crystal Palace. For United, the 2nd leg of the Europa League will be top priority as they look to protect a 1-0 lead from the first leg.
European Football Round-up
Juventus are through to the Champions League final for the second time in three years, their 4-1 aggregate over Monaco ensured they will be meeting either Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid in the Champions League final in Cardiff on 3 June.
Juventus are 23 games unbeaten in Europe and have won the last 6 Serie A titles.
It is highly likely that they will be meeting Real Madrid in the final unless Atletico Madrid can somehow overturn a 3-0 deficit from the first leg. Real have beaten Atletico in the Champions League in the past three seasons, including in the 2014 and 2016 finals.
Dutch Europa Charge
Another team that look to have one foot firmly in the final is Dutch side Ajax. They pummelled Lyon 4-1 in the first leg of their Europa semi-final. Hold on in that 2nd leg and they will meet either Celta Vigo or Manchester United in the final.
Other Leagues Round-up
Championship
In the Championship, Newcastle were crowned champions on the last day of the season. A 3-0 win against Barnsley. This was due to 2nd place Brighton only managing a 1-1 draw with Aston Villa.
Leeds United will be disappointed that they missed a play-off spot, 2 draws and 2 defeats in their last 4 games mean Leeds will be playing Championship footy again next year.
Champions: Newcastle.
Promoted: Brighton.
Play off places: Reading, Sheffield Wednesday, Huddersfield Town and Fulham.
League One
Champions Sheffield United hit the golden 100 points mark and comfortably were champions, finishing 14 points ahead of 2nd place Bolton. Scunthorpe’s draw and a loss in their last 2 games saw them miss out on automatic promotion.
Champions: Sheffield United.
Promoted: Bolton.
Play off places: Scunthorpe, Fleetwood Town, Bradford and Millwall.
League Two
In a very tight battle in League Two, Portsmouth were champions on goal difference. Their record of 26 wins, 9 draws and 11 loses is the same as Plymouth. Plymouth let the championship slip from their grasp with 3 draws in their last 6 games. Portsmouth and Plymouth are joined by Doncaster as automatically promoted teams.
Champions: Portsmouth.
Promoted: Plymouth and Doncaster.
Play off places: Luton, Exeter, Carlisle and Blackpool.
Making Rugby News Headlines
With 81,577 fans watching on, the Army downed the Royal Navy 29-20 to win the 100th match between the two sides and to lift the Babcock trophy at Twickenham
AVIVA Premiership
Harlequins 32-13 Wasps, a 22-point haul for Nick Evans in his final home game the saw leaders Wasps lose against a dominant Harlequins.
Newcastle Falcons 16-14 Worcester Warriors. The Falcons are now within touching distance of a top-seven finish.
Leicester Tigers 41-18 Sale Sharks, a vital win for the Leicester Tigers as they secured the points to strengthen their grip on fourth place!
Exeter Chiefs 36-12 Northampton Saints, with this win Exeter Chiefs became the first side in Aviva Premiership Rugby history to secure seven straight bonus point wins.
Saracens 27-9 Bristol Rugby – This win for Saracens keeps their hopes alive for a home semi-final in the playoffs.
Bath Rugby 44-20 Gloucester Rugby – A Taulupe Faletau hat-trick helped Bath seal this win in the West Country derby.
Announcements
The Rugby Players’ Association players’ (RPAP) player of the year award five-man shortlist for has been announced, they are:
Elliot Daly, Christian Wade and Jimmy Gopperth all play at Wasps. Saracens’ Owen Farrell and the only forward nominated, Louis Picamoles of Northampton Saints.
Sale Sharks have confirmed that Will Griff will join them from Doncaster Knights for next season.
Gareth Denman will be joining Gloucester Rugby from Aviva Premiership rivals Northampton Saints.
Announced this week that Channel 5 will show five live Premiership Rugby matches per season and is the first time that Premiership Rugby will be shown live on terrestrial television, BT Sport will continue to show up 80 Live games a season.
Channel 5 will also screen a highlights show each Sunday night covering Premiership Rugby, Anglo-Welsh Cup and Premiership Rugby 7s. Both of the above will take effect from the 2017-2018 season.
In Rugby League Salford’s wing Justin Carney has been Fined £300 and banned for eight games for racially abusing an opponent.
Lions Watch – The Ireland Scrum half Conor Murray is on course to make the British & Irish Lions tour after returning to full training with his Club Munster.
Murray, 28, has not played since Ireland’s Six Nations defeat by Wales in March when he damaged a nerve in his shoulder.
With the final standings of the Aviva Premiership now confirmed the play offs will be:
Exeter Chiefs v Saracens – Saturday May 20, Sandy Park kick-off: 2.45pm
Wasps v Leicester Tigers – Saturday 20 May, Ricoh Arena 5.30pm
Final May 27, Twickenham, 2.30pm
Aviva Premiership Tries in Numbers
17 Tries by the Top try scorer Christian Wade this season — equalling Dominic Chapman’s 1998 record.
89 Wasps tries this season, beating Newcastle Falcons 1997-98 season record when they won the title.
725 Combined tries scored by all competing sides in the 22 rounds this season — the most in 17 years.
Lions Watch
England Scrum half Ben Youngs has withdrew from the British and Irish Lions to support his family as his sister in law has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, he will be replaced by Scotland’s Greig Laidlaw.
World Cup Draw
The draw for the Rugby World Cup has been made. Thankfully, this time there is no repeat of the dreaded group of death that proved to be England’s downfall in 2015. That year, they were drawn against Australia and Wales and became the first host nation not progressing from the first round.
Pool A: Ireland, Scotland, Japan, Europe 1, play-off winner (Europe 2 v Oceania 3)
Pool B: New Zealand, South Africa, Italy, Africa 1, repechage winner
Pool C: England, France, Argentina, Americas 1, Oceania 2
Pool D: Australia, Wales, Georgia, Oceania 1, Americas 2
Other Football News:
FIFA: The two men, Hans-Joachim Eckert and Cornel Borbely, appointed by FIFA to oversee reforms at FIFA have been told they will not be getting another term. This has led to many speculating that the era of reform is now over at the football governing body. A statement from the pair said their impending departure “means the de facto end of Fifa’s reform efforts”.
Borbely and Eckert suggested the decision not to reappoint them was “obviously politically motivated” and added: “It seems the Fifa hierarchy has valued its own and political interests higher than the long-term interests of Fifa.”
Chelsea: It is reported that Conte will be offered a new contract at Chelsea to stop interest from Inter Milan. It is also reported that Chelsea’s main transfer targets this year are Everton’s Lukaku, Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez and Southampton’s Virgil Van Dijk.
Another player that Chelsea are interested in is 24 year old striker, Alvaro Morata. Morata is alleged to have turned down a deal worth £147 million from a Chinese club.
Arsenal: Wenger is on a collision course with Gunners chief executive Ivan Gazidis, who wants to make several sweeping changes at the club this summer.
Manchester United: Details of the wages of several of the first team were given by Football Leaks. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is understood to be earning £367,640 a week, this figure doesn’t include the £2.86 million he has already received in goal bonuses.
We should probably all take a second to feel sorry for Paul Pogba! He earns a paltry £165,588 per week. To put that figure into perspective, if you earn the minimum wage of £6.70, it would take you 475 years to earn as much as Pogba does in one week. Who said life was fair?