Author: sportsnewsuk

“It’s always an attractive option,” Joyce said to Sky Sports. “Before I took Zhang, which was obviously a bad decision, I was WBO Interim [champion] off the back of beating Dubois and Parker. So it’s just like a bit of a mistake that I’m going to rectify now.” Joyce defeated Dubois in November 2020, forcing him to take a knee after repeatedly damaging his left eye. At the time, the victory was viewed as the biggest win of Joyce’s career and earned him the WBO interim title. The careers of the two heavyweights have moved in opposite directions since then.…

There will be a change in the way Premier League referees judge hair-pulling next season after three players were sent off for the offence in 2025-26.All three red cards for hair-pulling came through a video assistant referee review, but from next season, not every time a player is seen to pull an opponent’s hair will they be dismissed.Instead, greater emphasis will be placed on both the level of force and the intention.Referees will be told to look for a “clear and deliberate action” which has “excessive force and/or brutality”.The change is intended to give more latitude to players who may…

Liverpool and Manchester United could be about to take their rivalry into the transfer market to sign an attacking star, who would instantly break a Premier League record. Liverpool chasing more wingers after Munoz The Reds are the club to watch in the transfer window right now, having just hijacked Newcastle United’s deal to sign Victor Munoz from Osasuna. Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes are ready to back Andoni Iraola, even after spending so big last summer, and it’s an open secret that they’re after quick wingers. Confirming the news of Munoz’s arrival, Liverpool release a statement saying: “Liverpool FC…

Tyson Fury’s father, John Fury, has offered an intriguing verdict on his son’s long-awaited Battle of Britain with Anthony Joshua. Following Fury’s return against Arslanbek Makhmudov, it soon became clear that Fury-Joshua was the goal for 2026, with Joshua’s own ‘warm-up’ fight against Kristian Prenga being one of the few remaining obstacles to the blockbuster event. ‘The Gypsy King’ is also set for a bout in the interim – with no opponent or date confirmed as of writing – before the pair of former champions deliver on a signed agreement to face off at the end of the year. Speaking…

Iran’s involvement in the World Cup has been plagued with uncertainty, linked to the war in the Middle East and related security concerns.Fifa president Gianni Infantino visited the Iran team in the dressing room following the game against New Zealand as tensions continue.Multiple “integral” members of their backroom staff were denied entry visas for the US while the FFIRI called on Fifa to “uphold the principles of neutrality, fairness, and established regulations” after their allocation of tickets was revoked on the eve of the tournament.”The Iranian national football team agreed to these terms,” a US Department of Homeland Security spokesperson…

Switzerland boss Murat Yakin revealed the reason he waited until the hydration break to make substitutions against Bosnia-Herzegovina was to have an advantage over their opponents. Switzerland defeated Bosnia 4-1 on Thursday in their Group B clash, boosting their chances of qualifying for the knockout rounds. The first goal of the match came in the 74th minute as Johan Manzambi scored off the bench, before another substitute in Ruben Vargas doubled their lead. Both players were introduced during the hydration break in the second half, with Manzambi scoring again to help get Switzerland over the line. Switzerland (three sub goals)…

Jaron “Boots” Ennis has spent years being mentioned alongside the sport’s elite, but DAZN commentator Todd Grisham believes the June 27 showdown with Xander Zayas is the fight that will determine whether he truly belongs in the same conversation as Terence Crawford. The unbeaten Ennis will move up to junior middleweight to challenge unified WBO and WBA champion Xander Zayas at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center in one of the most anticipated fights of 2026. While both fighters enter undefeated, Grisham sees the bout as a defining moment for Ennis’ standing in the sport. “As great as Boots Ennis is, I still…

France’s team will be led by Mickael Guillard, who partners uncapped Thomas Staniforth, an Australian who qualifies for France via residency, in the second row.Elsewhere, the visitors, who are without players from Top 14 semi-finallists Toulouse, Racing 92, Montpellier and Stade Francais, lean on established club combinations.La Rochelle half-back pair Nolann Le Garrec and Antoine Hastoy start inside the Bordeaux-Begles centre duo of Yoram Moefana and Nicolas Depoortere.Bordeaux-Begles provide the whole of the front row, with 33-year-old Jefferson Poirot joined by Maxime Lamothe and Sipili Falatea.Pau’s Theo Attissogbe is at full-back.France: Attissogbe; Ambadiang, Depoortere, Moefana, Arfeuil; Hastoy, Le Garrec; Poirot,…

David Benavidez and Noel Mikaelian’s promoters are in advanced negotiations to stage a cruiserweight unification bout between the pair in the fall, BoxingScene has learned.Sampson Lewkowicz and Don King participated in an extended conversation Wednesday morning in an effort to strike an agreement, with Lewkowicz telling BoxingScene he expects “to make a deal shortly.”Unbeaten, three-division champion Benavidez, 32-0 (26 KOs), of Phoenix will defend his WBO and WBA belts against new WBC champion Mikaelian, 28-3 (12 KOs), of Armenia.The talks were preceded by WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman ordering Mikaelian to immediately negotiate with WBC light heavyweight champion Benavidez last month…

Olympic champions Emma Finucane and Matt Richards, former world indoor champion Jeremiah Azu and Paralympic sprinter Olivia Breen will compete for Team Wales at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games between 23 July and 2 August. The 114 athletes include Paralympic champion Aled Sion Davies and world silver medal artistic gymnast Ruby Evans.The team will compete across 10 different sports with 66 female and 48 male athletes with ages ranging from 16 to 73 years old. Twenty-two Para-athletes are selected with Glasgow hosting more para-events than in any other Games. “This group represents the very best of Welsh sport – dedicated, ambitious…