Aurelia Butler

More stories

  • 225 Shares179 Views

    in Athletics

    Shawn Barber dead: Olympic pole vaulter dies aged just 29 after suffering ‘medical complications’ as tributes pour in

    SHAWN Barber, the Canadian world champion pole vaulter has died at 29 from “medical complications”.The young athlete died Wednesday at home in Kingswood, Texas, his agent Paul Doyle confirmed to The Associated Press.
    Canadian champion Shawn Barber has died aged 29Credit: AP
    The Candian pole vaulter died in his Texas home, his agent saidCredit: AP
    A cause of death was not yet known but Shawn had been experiencing health issues.
    “More than just an incredible athlete, Shawn was such a good-hearted person that always put others ahead of himself,” Doyle said Thursday.
    “It’s tragic to lose such a good person at such a young age.”
    He is survived by his mother, Ann; father, George; and brother, David.
    Read more on Canada
    Shawn was a successful pole vaulter at the University of Akron, where he won consecutive NCAA indoor titles in 2014 and 2015.
    The Canadian also won the NCAA outdoor championship in 2015, followed by gold in the Pan-American Games later that summer.
    Shawn rode a wave of momentuminto the world championships that season in Beijing, where he won gold over Germany’s Raphael Marcel Holzdeppe.
    A year later, he reached the final of the 2016 Rio Olympics’ pole vault event, which was won by Brazil’s Thiago Braz.
    Most read in Athletics
    Shawn’s best vault was six metres (19 feet, 8 ¼ inches) on January 15, 2016, in Reno, Nevada.
    His mark remains the Canadian record.
    Shawn’s cause of death remains unknownCredit: AP More

  • 225 Shares99 Views

    in Boxing

    Eddie Hearn maps out blockbuster plan for Anthony Joshua to fight Tyson Fury and become undisputed heavyweight champ

    EDDIE HEARN has mapped out a masterplan for Anthony Joshua to beat Tyson Fury and become undisputed champion in the process. Joshua returns on March 8 against ex-UFC star-turned heavyweight boxer Francis Ngannou.
    Tyson Fury fights Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed titleCredit: Getty
    Anthony Joshua returns against Francis NgannouCredit: Getty
    Just three weeks earlier, Fury, 35, and Oleksandr Usyk, 36, contest for all four world titles, a first in heavyweight history.
    AJ was due to fight Deontay Wilder, 38, but the American suffered a shock defeat to Joseph Parker, 31
    So in stepped Ngannou, 37, who dropped Fury on his boxing debut in October only to lose a controversial decision.
    Promoter Hearn said on The MMA Hour: “Criticism is out there all the time but he (Joshua) is in a great place, he is really confident.
    READ MORE IN BOXING
    “I said before the Wallin fight that he is going to beat [Otto] Wallin, beat Wilder and beat Fury.
    “The only thing that’s going to change is Ngannou replaces Wilder. I honestly believe he can beat all of those guys.”
    Joshua, 34, has won three on the spin since suffering consecutive losses to Usyk on points – but new coach Ben Davison wants a trilogy bout.
    And while Hearn believes Fury could beat Usyk, he insisted nothing stands in AJ’s way of becoming undisputed king.
    Most read in Boxing
    FREE BETS – BEST BETTING OFFERS & NEW CUSTOMER BONUSES
    He said: “Even now with Ben Davison, they like the Usyk fight now. Ben really believes that AJ can beat Usyk.
    “I truly believe AJ will become undisputed heavyweight champion. Only with that last performance do people start thinking.
    “I love Usyk but part of me wants Tyson to win that fight so we can potentially move.”
    Joshua with promoter Eddie HearnCredit: Getty More

  • 200 Shares189 Views

    in Boxing

    Anthony Joshua shows off ripped body ahead of Francis Ngannou fight as stunned fans gasp ‘wow’

    ANTHONY JOSHUA is already in fighting shape as he posed for a photoshoot ahead of facing Francis Ngannou. The superstar pair collide in a humongous heavyweight clash on March 8 in Saudi Arabia.
    Anthony Joshua is already in fighting shape as he posed for a photoshootCredit: Instagram
    Joshua fights Francis Ngannou on March 8 in Saudi ArabiaCredit: Instagram
    Ngannou takes to the boxing ring for only the second timeCredit: AFP
    And AJ is raring to go as he showed off his ripped body on social media with the caption: “Patiently waiting for the first bell to ring.”
    It left fans stunned as one said: “Wow… Victory.”
    Another added: “I feel sorry for Ngannou, he will feel the heat.”
    Ngannou, 37, comes into only his second boxing bout having floored Tyson Fury, 35, on his debut in October.
    READ MORE IN BOXING
    He was controversially beaten on points, with Fury now fighting Oleksandr Usyk, 36, for the undisputed crown on February 17 in Saudi.
    Joshua was due to meet Deontay Wilder until the American suffered a shock defeat to Joseph Parker.
    So instead he steps in with Ngannou, with the winner in line to challenge either Fury or Usyk for the unified crown.
    Joshua looked back to his best after hammering Otto Wallin, 32, in five rounds and credits new coach Ben Davison for the rejuvenation.
    Most read in Boxing

    ANTHONY JOSHUA VS FRANCIS NGANNOU: ALL THE DETAILS YOU NEED AHEAD OF HUGE CROSSOVER BOUT
    FREE BETS – BEST BETTING OFFERS & NEW CUSTOMER BONUSES
    He said: “The reason I was able to gel with Ben is because he doesn’t try to change your style.
    “He just kind of looks at your attributes and then adds to what you are good at.
    “I got to a stage where I was trying to change my style — a bit of back-foot-boxing, boxing behind the jab, stick-and-move, not being explosive, controlling the pace and stuff like that.
    “But Ben was like, ‘That’s not your body type. You’re a f***ing big unit, you’re explosive, go and f***ing knock people out’.
    “Basically, work to your body type. So, we got along. He gets it.
    “I am a power puncher. I break eye sockets. I broke Wallin’s nose and eye socket, Robert Helenius just got sparked out.
    “I ruined Dillian Whyte’s career with an uppercut, the list goes on. Ngannou has to deal with me and that will make it a good fight.
    “I will have a one-track mind, it will just be bam-bam-bam-bang.
    “A good performance is a boring fight as the better fighter is totally dominant.
    READ MORE SUN STORIES
    “I don’t want a slugfest, I don’t want to swap punches and think, ‘What the f*** am I supposed to do?’ I don’t want to take ten rounds to land a knockout shot.”
    Joshua and Ngannou ahead of their March 8 fightCredit: Alamy More

  • 200 Shares199 Views

    in Boxing

    YouTube boxing BLOCKED from Saudi Arabia in huge blow for Jake Paul, KSI and Tommy Fury

    YOUTUBE boxing is to be BLOCKED from coming to Saudi Arabia. In recent years, mega-money bouts have been prised over to the Middle East, with Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder all involved.
    KSI could be blocked from fighting in Saudi ArabiaCredit: Getty
    Jake Paul has turned his back on influencer boxing for a more traditional approachCredit: Getty
    But no influence has been bigger than His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of the General Entertainment Authority in Saudi.
    He is in control of boxing in the region and has managed to even have feuding promoters Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren work together.
    His Excellency wants everyone in the sport to collaborate – but it will not cross over to the new age of influencer boxing.
    He told DAZN: “Please, we don’t want any YouTuber fight again. I don’t talk about names.
    READ MORE IN BOXING
    “I want fighters, I want fighters, this is what I support.”
    It could come as a blow to the likes of KSI, Jake Paul and Tommy Fury.
    Fury, 24, last year beat both the social media sensations and remains linked with rematches.
    His grudge match with Paul, 27, was even staged in Riyadh and saw him win a split-decision.
    Most read in Boxing
    FREE BETS – BEST BETTING OFFERS & NEW CUSTOMER BONUSES
    American Paul has since distanced himself from the crossover boxing scene to head into a more traditional route.
    His last fight was against professional boxer Andre August, 35, which he won by first-round knockout.
    Paul returns on March 2 on the undercard of Amanda Serrano’s Puerto Rico homecoming and will do so against another boxer.
    KSI, 30, is meanwhile taking time away from the sport following his controversial loss to Fury.
    But he will always be in line for a blockbuster bout with Paul following years of feuding between the pair.
    They were even in talks to fight in Saudi in 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic KO’d those plans.
    KSI and Jake Paul clashing in the ring in 2020Credit: Getty Images – Getty More

  • 138 Shares159 Views

    in Boxing

    Who is Not Logan Paul and what is his net worth?

    NOT LOGAN PAUL has made a name for himself with his eerily similar appearance to influencer Logan Paul.The lookalike star is well known online, boasting popular Instagram and TikTok accounts, and has also entered the world of boxing.
    Rodney Petersen is better known online by his alias Not Logan Paul
    Who is Not Logan Paul?
    Not Logan Paul is a social media personality who found fame due to looking like Logan Paul.
    The star, real name Rodney Petersen, began posting on social media in 2020.
    At first, he shared aspects of his life like his love for music and pictures of his children.
    But it wasn’t long until his followers began to make comparisons between Petersen and influencer and boxer Paul.
    READ MORE ON LOGAN PAUL
    Petersen told Business Insider: “In early 2021, I’d never heard of YouTuber-turned-boxer Logan Paul.
    “But when people started flooding my comments section saying they thought I looked like him, I googled him and discovered he’s a hugely popular influencer with a controversial past.”
    Petersen, who shares four children with his wife, has enjoyed success from the comparisons but has admitted the reception isn’t always positive.
    He explained: “I sometimes receive negative comments from viewers, such as from a person who commented ‘you and your brother are jokes of the world,’ as if I was actually Logan himself, which is so strange.”
    Most read in Boxing
    Is Not Logan Paul on social media?
    Petersen is a big presence online and has many social media followers.
    On Instagram he has 130k followers while on TikTok he has over 215k followers.
    He also has a YouTube channel where he has over 3k subscribers.
    It was the star’s wife who first convinced him to join TikTok back in 2020 but it was only once he began capitalising on being a Logan Paul doppelgänger that he found his follower count rising dramatically.
    In just one year, Petersen went from having 7k followers to 130k after making a number of clips recreating some of Paul’s old videos and doing impressions of him.
    Petersen said in 2022: “I’m happy to run with this Logan Paul doppelgänger bit as long as it keeps bringing me views.
    “In a funny way, I’ve found that it’s allowing more people to find me and get to know who I am.
    “People used to come up to me in the street because they thought I was Logan Paul, but now, they know that I’m his doppelgänger on TikTok, they know my accounts and real name, and they want a picture with the actual me.”
    Petersen has also said that he would eventually like to go back to focusing on his dreams in martial arts and music.
    What is Not Logan Paul’s net worth?
    Petersen’s net worth has been reported to be as much as $6 million, which is over £4.5 million.
    The star has admitted in the past that “looking like Logan Paul is bringing me the extra cash I need.”
    His lookalike Paul, meanwhile, has a reported net worth of $150 million, roughly £118 million.
    What is Not Logan Paul’s boxing record?
    Like many online personalities before him, Petersen has entered the world of boxing.
    As of January 18 2024 he has won one match as a celebrity boxer.
    Petersen made his debut at an Official Celebrity Boxing match in March 2023.
    The star was then confirmed to be taking part in the Misfits Boxing 12 event in January 2024.
    Petersen’s bout against Tristan Hamm was scheduled for Saturday, January 20th.
    The event, which also signed Chase DeMoor and Ed Matthews for the line-up, will be hosted in Leeds’ First Direct Arena with the capacity being approximately 13,000.
    Ahead of the match against Hamm, Petersen shared his excitement on social media.
    In one Instagram post he shared a picture of the poster for the event with the caption: “Flying across the ocean and getting My second influencer boxing Win, 2024 is going to be amazing for us all.”
    READ MORE SUN STORIES
    In another, he added: “Either they want to see me win. Or they wanna see me lose.
    “Either way they are watching and it’s paying off $$$ I do greatly appreciate all of the amazing support. Staying positive and hard on the grind.” More

  • 238 Shares159 Views

    in Boxing

    Elle Brooke smacks Love Island star in face with microphone as she ramps up feud ahead of Misfits fight

    ELLE BROOKE threatened to kick off her fight with AJ Bunker earlier than planned after smacking a microphone in her face. The two meet in a heated rematch on Saturday night in Leeds at Misfits 12.
    Elle Brooke smacked Love Island star AJ Bunker in the face with microphoneCredit: Instagram
    The two meet in a heated rematch in Leeds at Misfits 12Credit: Instagram
    There has been bad blood between the pair since July 2022 when Brooke beat Bunker on points.
    The two have since gone back and forth and tempers flared at the pre-fight open workout out.
    OnlyFans star Brooke exchanged words with former Love Islander Bunker before trying to smash a microphone in her face.
    The bout will not only have Bunker’s Misfits Boxing belt on the line but it also carries bragging rights with it.
    READ MORE ON ELLE BROOKE
    Brooke told SunSport: “We know of each other now.
    “When we first fought it was just someone else in the influencer scene to take on that fight. 
    “Whereas now she’s champ, I’ve already beat her and it’s her opportunity for redemption, my opportunity to win the belt and that’s the story. 
    “We also aren’t that fond of each other, so it’s got great ingredients for a good fight.”
    Most read in Boxing
    FREE BETS – BEST BETTING OFFERS & NEW CUSTOMER BONUSES
    The duo came head to head in September last year at a Misfits event in Newcastle and had to be separated following a foul-mouthed exchange.
    Brooke added: “She’s just rude. She’s going after my job, she’s making up lies, she’s just trying to make me look bad. 
    “So why would I not defend myself? Obviously it’s personal and I want to win again because that’s what I’m made to do, that’s what I’m built to do.” 
    Elle Brooke said her fight with AJ Bunker is ‘personal’Credit: Instagram / @thedumbledong
    Elle Brooke won the first fight in 2022Credit: Instagram / @thedumbledong
    AJ Bunker featured on Love IslandCredit: andreajanebunker/Instagram
    She defends her belt against Elle BrookeCredit: Supplied More

  • 250 Shares179 Views

    in Boxing

    Lennox Lewis launches stinging attack on Eddie Hearn over Anthony Joshua fight and warns ‘you’ll never be ready for me’

    LENNOX LEWIS has launched a stinging attack on Eddie Hearn over Anthony Joshua’s potential shot at an undisputed blockbuster.Joshua takes on Francis Ngannou in March, with the victor in line to face the winner of next month’s historic bout between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, in which all four belts will be on the line.
    Lennox Lewis launched an attack on Eddie HearnCredit: Getty
    Lewis has told Hearn there are more deserving fighters than Anthony Joshua to have a shot at the undisputed titleCredit: Alamy
    However, heavyweight legend Lewis insists AJ should NOT get a shot at being the heavyweight king.
    Instead, the former champ, 58, thinks there would be a “better case” for the winner between Joseph Parker or Zhilei Zhang to get the chance.
    The two will fight each other on March 8 on the same card as AJ’s bout with former UFC star Ngannou in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
    And Lewis told promoter Hearn that, despite not being a big names as AJ, Parker and Zhang are more deserving of the opportunity.
    READ MORE ON BOXING
    He wrote on X: “Ok @EddieHearn I know this is the promoter in you speaking, so I’ll break it down like the boxing fan I am.
    “If AJ beats Ngannou, which he should, does that elevate him to a shot at undisputed? Beating Wallin & Ngannou?
    “There’s a much better case for the winner of #ParkerZhang.
    “And if AJ gets through Ngannou, and Usyk wins undisputed, is the appetite for #usykJoshua3 out there?
    Most read in Boxing
    CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
    “If Fury becomes undisputed, the man says he’s vacating all belts but the WBC and ring so Fury in effect becomes last undisputed until someone else can Thanos them back together.
    “I still want to see AJ fight Fury and Wilder… those are big fights.
    “But like I told Mike Tyson, if you keep fighting guys like Lou Savarese, you will NEVER be ready for me.”
    Hearn responded to Lewis as he insisted that the “dream has always been undisputed”.
    He wrote: “Break down whatever you want. His Excellency [Mohammed bin Salman] confirmed the plan. Winner of #JoshuaNgannou v winner of #FuryUsyk.
    “The dream has always been Undisputed and we are one win away from challenging for it.
    “No problem with you preferring Parker or Zhang getting a shot at Undisputed over AJ.”

    ANTHONY JOSHUA VS FRANCIS NGANNOU: ALL THE DETAILS YOU NEED AHEAD OF HUGE CROSSOVER BOUT More

  • 238 Shares139 Views

    in Boxing

    Deontay Wilder and Otto Wallin weren’t the same after fighting Tyson Fury – I’ve never seen anything so bad

    DEONTAY WILDER and Otto Wallin were changed men after fighting Tyson Fury, claims his dad John.The Gypsy King went the distance with both fighters, before fighting Wilder a further two times.
    John Fury claims Deontay Wilder and Otto Wallin have not been the same since fighting Tyson FuryCredit: Getty
    Fury fought Wilder three times, beating him twiceCredit: Reuters
    Wallin lost via unanimous decision to Fury in 2019Credit: Reuters
    He faced Wilder for the first time in 2018 and survived a last-round knock-out to secure a draw, before going on to fight Wallin 10 months later.
    Fury suffered a nasty cut over his right eyebrow following a clash of heads with Wallin but survived until the final bell, winning via unaminous decision.
    He later fought Wilder twice, stopping the American in their rematch before knocking him out in their trilogy fight.
    Both boxers fought on the same card last month in Saudi Arabia with Wallin defeated in five rounds by Anthony Joshua, while Wilder lost to Joseph Parker, and John Fury feels neither boxer is the same fighter they were before fighting his son.
    READ MORE IN BOXING
    He told Seconds Out: “Otto Wallin was s*** scared of Anthony Joshua. Fair play to AJ, he looked like a man on a mission. Wallin never turned up, just like Deontay Wilder never [vs Joseph Parker].
    “I’ve never seen anything as bad as Wilder in my life. I was looking at two different people in Wallin and Wilder – those were not the people who fought Tyson. Tyson probably took everything out of them.”
    Fury, 35, is set to fight Oleksandr Usyk next in an undisputed heavyweight clash on February 17.
    Last tine out Fury struggled to a points win over former UFC champion Francis Ngannou and his dad has warned he will need to alter his style for the challenge of Usyk.
    Most read in Boxing
    CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
    He said: “He needs a different style altogether with Usyk, he’s totally different.
    “If you go back to, many years ago, you can watch it on the internet, it’s Gerry Cooney-Michael Spinks.
    “Michael Spinks is a blown-up light-heavyweight weighing just over fourteen stone at the time.
    “Gerry Cooney is six-foot-seven, eighteen stone, look what happened.
    “These are speed-men, you just can’t have that straight-up, going forward, looking to land a bomb on these kind of fighters because guess what?
    “They can see it coming and they will avoid it.
    “Usyk is very good, he is a good mover, he’s got a brain, he’s got good footwork and the style for Deontay Wilder and Francis Ngannou isn’t going to cut it for a man like Usyk.” More