Sports
Joshua knocks out Pulev, edges closer to dream fight against Tyson Fury
Anthony Joshua floors Kubrat Pulev three times in a spiteful and vicious performance that would have grabbed Tyson Fury’s attention, reports Skysports.
Joshua knocked his opponent out in the ninth round of their world heavyweight championship fight at The SSE Arena, Wembley, on Saturday night.
He floored Pulev heavily on three occasions, twice in the final round, and ended the fight with a vicious right hand to retain his IBF, WBA and WBO titles.
The explosive performance from Joshua would have demanded the attention of Tyson Fury – they remain on a collision course to decide an undisputed champion in 2021.
Undefeated WBC champion Fury holds the only major belt outside of Joshua’s grip and a meeting between them would be the biggest match in world boxing – after delivering this thrilling knockout in front of a crowd of 1,000 people plus boxing great Floyd Mayweather, Joshua moved a step closer to making it a reality.
His first fight since avenging a shock defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr a year ago would have ended explosively in the third round had his challenger Pulev not possessed a warrior-like determination to continue when he was felled, but there was no escaping the eventual knockout.
Joshua barely broke eye contact with his challenger from the moment he strode over the top rope and into the ring, then their pre-fight fist bump was aggressive and intense.
When the punches began flying, Joshua landed a series of jabs and Pulev clipped him back with a left hook.
When Joshua let his hands go for the first time with a four-punch salvo in the second round, Pulev smiled sarcastically back at him.
Joshua smashed Pulev with a perfectly-timed right hand in the third round that badly hurt his challenger.
Joshua hunted him, desperate for the knockout, and landed a brutal barrage of uppercuts and hooks which eventually toppled Pulev to the canvas.
It seemed likely to be all over but Pulev, whose only previous loss in 29 fights was against Wladimir Klitschko, survived to the bell after which he threw an illegal shot that fizzed past the champion’s face.
Joshua, eyes bulging and tongue out, stared a hole through Pulev and spoke to him as the next round was set to begin.
He regained his composure and, in the fifth, cracked home a big right hand which didn’t budge Pulev, who ended the round strongly after some feisty back-and-forth trash talk.
A spiteful fight became gritty and rugged in the sixth when Pulev began winging wild swings that didn’t hit their target, but did force ugly exchanges.
Three consecutive uppercuts from Joshua hurt Pulev in the seventh but still the tough Bulgarian would not cede ground.
Pulev then landed his best punch, a straight right hand, in the eighth.
But Joshua closed the show in the ninth with another colossal uppercut which crumpled Pulev to the floor for the second time.
Still Pulev rose but a right hand from Joshua sent him flying backwards and split his lip bloodily, ending the fight in a flash.
The fight that the boxing world now craves is Joshua vs Fury – they each have other challengers circling, Oleksandr Usyk and Deontay Wilder respectively – but the two Brits putting every heavyweight belt on the line would be an historic occasion.
Sports
Diallo late hat-trick inspires Man United comeback win over Southampton
Diallo late hat-trick inspires Man United comeback win over Southampton
Amad Diallo scored a stunning late hat-trick as Manchester United turned what seemed certain to be a humiliating defeat into a thrilling victory over Southampton at Old Trafford.
United appeared to be heading for a fourth consecutive top-flight home defeat for the first time since 1930 as they laboured badly trying to overcome a Southampton side who had won just once all season and suffered a 5-0 home loss to Brentford on their last league outing.
But Diallo, a week after signing a new five-and-a-half year contract, had other ideas.
The Ivorian, moved into an attacking role from the wing-back position he started the contest in, took the game by the scruff of the neck, levelling nine minutes from time. He surged into the box, profited from a fortunate break of the ball and drove the rebound past Aaron Ramsdale.
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A minute into injury-time, Diallo kept running onto Christian Eriksen’s chipped return pass before beating Ramsdale with a first-time effort.
And he capitalised when Taylor Harwood-Bellis failed to control Ramsdale’s pass, nipping the ball away from the former Manchester City defender and passing the ball into an empty net to complete his first senior hat-trick.
It was awful luck on Southampton, who deserved so much more for their efforts but all they had to show was a Manuel Ugarte own goal from a corner.
United, for long periods, showed head coach Ruben Amorim was right to express his concerns about his side’s effectiveness against lesser opposition after encouraging performances against Liverpool and Arsenal.
But Diallo, who has responded better to Amorim’s arrival than anyone else at Old Trafford, was not to be denied and walked away with the match ball in celebration as the home fans cheered him down the tunnel.
Diallo late hat-trick inspires Man United comeback win over Southampton
Sports
Kane scores again as Bayern thrash Hoffenheim to go top
Kane scores again as Bayern thrash Hoffenheim to go top
Harry Kane scored one and assisted another as Bayern Munich thrashed Hoffenheim to restore their four-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga table.
The Bavarians were awarded a 26th-minute penalty after a Kane header was blocked by the arm of a defender and the England captain buried his spot-kick, sending the keeper the wrong way.
Kane, 31, had earlier assisted defender Raphael Guerreiro with a one-two to set up the Bavarians’s second.
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Bundesliga top scorer Kane has now scored 16 goals and created eight assists in 15 appearances in the division so far this season.
With the game won, he was substituted midway through the second half.
The Bavarians opened the scoring in the sixth minute through Leroy Sane, and the former Manchester City forward added his side’s fourth just after half-time.
Serge Gnabry completed Bayern’s scoring by adding a fifth in the 66th minute.
Kane scores again as Bayern thrash Hoffenheim to go top
Sports
Police probe abuse of Havertz’s wife after Arsenal star’s woes
Police probe abuse of Havertz’s wife after Arsenal star’s woes
Police have launched an investigation into social media abuse aimed at Arsenal forward Kai Havertz’s wife after his latest poor performance.
Havertz missed a penalty in Arsenal’s shootout defeat against Manchester United in the FA Cup third round on Sunday.
Following Arsenal’s second successive loss, the Germany international’s wife, Sophia, reposted two abusive messages she had received on Instagram.
A police spokesman told Britain’s Press Association: “Officers have received a report of malicious communications towards a Hertfordshire resident on Sunday 12 January. Enquiries are under way.”
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Speaking on Tuesday, on the eve of Arsenal’s Premier League match against Tottenham, Gunners manager Mikel Arteta flagged the “terrible consequences” of online abuse.
“It’s something that we really have to eradicate from the game, because it’s so cynical as well,” he said.
Havertz has scored 12 goals in 27 matches for Arsenal this season.
But his woeful finishing in the United game and the preceeding 2-0 home defeat to Newcastle in the League Cup semi-final first leg has reopened criticism of the German.
Havertz, who scored the Champions League final winner for Chelsea in 2021, has endured an erratic spell with Arsenal since moving across London in 2023.
But Arteta said there is no excuse for the abuse, saying: “We can accept it and say ‘that’s our job’, but there are certain limits and the line has to be drawn. It cannot happen. That’s it.”
Police probe abuse of Havertz’s wife after Arsenal star’s woes
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