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      How ‘drugs kingpin’ Daniel Kinahan, linked to boxing world champ Tyson Fury, is now planning to move into football

      by

      SITTING on a scruffy trading estate in a Lancashire village, the office of the MTK football agency appears a world away from the glitzy Premier League.
      Now it aims to grab a slice of the £500million spent each year on agency fees — and while company director Danny Vincent is a complete unknown, the founder of the business’s parent company, Daniel Kinahan, is certainly not.

      Tyson Fury with Daniel Kinahan

      Known as “Big Dan” by Tyson Fury, Kinahan made his name in the ­boxing world — and is also a ­notorious figure in his native Dublin.
      He has been accused by Irish police, courts and media, as well as the BBC’s Panorama, of being a drugs kingpin and organised crime boss — something he has always denied and he has never been convicted of any criminal offence.
      Kinahan, 43, has been labelled a senior figure in organised crime by Ireland’s high court, while a 2009 diplomatic cable sent to the Pentagon by a US Embassy described him as a “suspected international drug-trafficking figure”, resulting in him being banned from entering the US.
      And police in Ireland suspect the Kinahan cartel — founded by his convicted drug-smuggler father Christy, who is now living in Dubai — has made at least £1billion selling narcotics globally.

      MTK Football’s director Danny Vincent, 36, was surprised when The Sun called last week at his £200,000 home just a stone’s throw from Aintree racecourse.

      Kinahan has been accused by Irish police, courts and media, as well as the BBC’s Panorama, of being a drugs kingpin and organised crime bossCredit: Refer to Caption

      The building where MTK Football is registeredCredit: .
      The tattooed Liverpool FC fan was unprepared for questions — despite his company’s links with Kinahan.
      Vincent, who counts Kinahan’s cage- fighter pal Darren Till among his shareholders, claimed he knew ­nothing about the alleged crimelord.
      He said: “I’ve got nothing to do with that. I work with Darren Till.”

      When pressed again about Kinahan, he said: “No, no — it’s bang out of order knocking at my door.”
      Prior to that, Vincent had admitted to our reporter that MTK Football had no clients, adding: “We have only just started out. This is mad — I’m not used to all this.”
      While Vincent may claim not to know Kinahan, The Sun understands the alleged mobster is already on first-name terms with dozens of ­Premier League players and even a club chairman.

      Amir Khan called Kinahan ‘one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met’Credit: Reuters
      That is because Kinahan has been plotting his move into the world of football for at least five years, from his base in Dubai.
      One well-placed source connected to multiple Premier League players revealed: “Kinahan has been planning this for years. He has been getting close to players and close to agents.
      “He has got to know lots of them while living in Marbella and more recently since he moved to Dubai.
      “Both destinations are playgrounds for footballers and underworld figures ­— and those worlds collide in high-end restaurants, bars and clubs.
      “He will definitely end up representing top-level players at some point.”
      Kinahan’s blueprint for success is the world of boxing, where he has acted as an “adviser” to Tyson Fury ahead of his £400million fight with Anthony Joshua.

      Danny Vincent, director of MTK Football, outside his homeCredit: .
      He founded MTK Global in 2012 and the firm now has more than 250 fighters on its books.
      In 2017 he claimed to have stepped away from the company, but he recently admitted he is still heavily involved in the fight trade.
      The source said: “It’s harder to find a boxer not linked to Kinahan than one who is. He dominates the boxing world and everyone knows it.”
      Kinahan operates in the shadows and is not registered with the British Board Of ­Boxing, or the Football Association, leaving them powerless to regulate him.
      In 2007, Kinahan and his ­younger brother Christy Jnr were held by police in Spain on suspicion of drug-smuggling. He was not charged. His father — known as “the Dapper Don” — is said to have passed on control of the cartel’s narcotics and money-laundering operation to him in 2016.
      Prior to moving to Dubai — where his dad and brother also live — he is alleged to have helped the cartel to amass a ­ fortune from drug-trafficking.
      Ireland’s Criminal Assets Bureau filed a high-court ­affidavit describing how ­Kinahan managed and ­controlled the day-to-day operations of the gang.

      Lee Byrne, Troy Parrott and Dele Alli
      Police forces in three ­countries currently want to question him. And in 2016, Kinahan was the intended target of an horrific shooting in Dublin’s Regency Hotel.
      Six gunmen from the rival Hutch gang, including one dressed in drag and others disguised as police officers, stormed in with AK47 assault rifles during a boxing weigh-in.
      They murdered alleged cartel enforcer David Byrne and seriously injured associate Sean McGovern — but Kinahan escaped.
      After a BBC Panorama documentary investigated his links with both boxing and organised crime last month, he said in a statement: “There is no evidence or proof against me. I have said repeatedly I have no criminal record anywhere in the world.”
      Despite the allegations, sports stars appear to love him. Last month Amir Khan called him “one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met” while Tyson Fury and Billy Jo Saunders respectfully call him “Big Dan”.
      A respected boxing source told The Sun: “The boxers that he represents absolutely love him because he treats them like kings.
      “And all the people who support him will always say thwaat he hasn’t been convicted of any crimes, so why shouldn’t he be involved in boxing?”
      But another source from the fight world urged more caution.

      Kinahan has curried favour with dozens of players owed millions by a rogue watch-dealer who disappeared with their money
      The source, who has met Kinahan on several occasions, said: “He is very intelligent and very dangerous. He is comfortable knowing that you know of his reputation.
      “He pushes and probes you and sizes you up. It’s disconcerting and very difficult to deal with.” And while the Premier League and the FA may hope that Kinahan’s new ­football venture never gets off the ground, The Sun can reveal that he is already embedded at the game’s top table.
      Kinahan has curried favour with dozens of players owed millions by a rogue watch-dealer who disappeared with their money.
      Players from clubs including Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Leicester, Aston Villa, Burnley, Leeds and Middlesbrough were all fleeced after handing over up to £250,000 on the promise of being sold rare Richard Mille, Philippe Patek and vintage Rolex watches.
      The jeweller, who cannot be named for legal reasons, failed to deliver the goods to around 30 footballers, agents and other watch-traders despite pocketing the cash.
      Unable to get their money back after he went bankrupt, several stars reportedly turned to Kinahan, who agreed to help.
      A source said: “If you’re owed £250,000 and someone gets it back for you, you’ll like them no matter what their alleged past is.”
      Kinahan has also helped out when players have got into trouble in Dubai.The Sun was told that when a Premier League stalwart got into an altercation while on holiday there, “Kinahan sorted it out”.
      But while Kinahan and his ­associates are happy to court ­players for business, they will not tolerate disrespect.

      One England star p***ed off some of Kinahan’s gang in a nightclub and, shortly after, his watch was stolen. They are not to be messed with.
      Source

      The source said: “One England star p***ed off some of Kinahan’s gang in a nightclub and, shortly after, his watch was stolen. They are not to be messed with.”
      Links between Kinahan’s associates and young football stars have already begun to emerge.
      Spurs and England star Dele Alli and Troy Parrott, an Irish clubmate of his at Tottenham, were spotted in pictures taken on a winter break in Dubai with Lee Byrne, son of Liam Byrne, a key associate of Kinahan.
      Liam Byrne was previously named in court as being at “the very top tier” of organised crime in Ireland, and a “close and trusted associate and lieutenant of Daniel Kinahan”.
      So how will Premier League managers and owners ­handle the situation if, or when, a player signs to MTK?
      The reality is that the clubs may never know who they are dealing with. A source said Kinahan has been wooing a top-level football agent who has more than 150 ­players on his books.

      “Kinahan won’t start representing a player,” said the source. “He’ll just go and buy an agency and absorb it. And bang, he’ll be into football in a big way.
      “But no one will ever know because the Kinahan name will never appear on any paperwork.”
      But as he looks to expand his influence into the world’s most popular — and richest — sport, it is clear that Kinahan is not someone who can be ignored.

      Eddie Hearn says he was ‘a little surprised’ by the uproar over Daniel Kinahan being praised by Tyson Fury
      GOT a story? RING The Sun on 0207 782 4104 or WHATSAPP on 07423720250 or EMAIL exclusive@the-sun.co.uk More

    • 225 Shares99 Views

      in Soccer

      How ‘drugs kingpin’ Daniel Kinahan, linked to boxing champ Tyson Fury, is now planning to move into football

      by

      SITTING on a scruffy trading estate in a Lancashire village, the office of the MTK football agency seems a world away from the glitzy Premier League.
      Now it aims to grab a slice of the £500million spent each year on agency fees — and while company director Danny Vincent is a complete unknown, the founder of the business’s parent company, Daniel Kinahan, is certainly not.

      Tyson Fury with Daniel Kinahan

      Known as “Big Dan” by Tyson Fury, Kinahan made his name in the ­boxing world — and is also a ­notorious figure in his native Dublin.
      He has been accused by Irish police, courts and media, as well as the BBC’s Panorama, of being a drugs kingpin and organised crime boss — something he has always denied and he has never been convicted of any criminal offence.
      Kinahan, 43, has been labelled a senior figure in organised crime by Ireland’s high court, while a 2009 diplomatic cable sent to the Pentagon by a US Embassy described him as a “suspected international drug-trafficking figure”, resulting in him being banned from entering the US.
      And police in Ireland suspect the Kinahan cartel — founded by his convicted drug-smuggler father Christy, who is now living in Dubai — has made at least £1billion selling narcotics globally.

      MTK Football’s director Danny Vincent, 36, was surprised when The Sun called last week at his £200,000 home just a stone’s throw from Aintree racecourse.

      Kinahan has been accused by Irish police, courts and media, as well as the BBC’s Panorama, of being a drugs kingpin and organised crime bossCredit: Refer to Caption

      The building where MTK Football is registeredCredit: .
      The tattooed Liverpool FC fan was unprepared for questions — despite his company’s links with Kinahan.
      Vincent, who counts Kinahan’s cage- fighter pal Darren Till among his shareholders, claimed he knew ­nothing about the alleged crimelord.
      He said: “I’ve got nothing to do with that. I work with Darren Till.”

      When pressed again about Kinahan, he said: “No, no — it’s bang out of order knocking at my door.”
      Prior to that, Vincent had admitted to our reporter that MTK Football had no clients, adding: “We have only just started out. This is mad — I’m not used to all this.”
      While Vincent may claim not to know Kinahan, The Sun understands the alleged mobster is already on first-name terms with dozens of ­Premier League players and even a club chairman.

      Amir Khan called Kinahan ‘one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met’Credit: Reuters
      That is because Kinahan has been plotting his move into the world of football for at least five years, from his base in Dubai.
      One well-placed source connected to multiple Premier League players revealed: “Kinahan has been planning this for years. He has been getting close to players and close to agents.
      “He has got to know lots of them while living in Marbella and more recently since he moved to Dubai.
      “Both destinations are playgrounds for footballers and underworld figures ­— and those worlds collide in high-end restaurants, bars and clubs.
      “He will definitely end up representing top-level players at some point.”
      Kinahan’s blueprint for success is the world of boxing, where he has acted as an “adviser” to Tyson Fury ahead of his £400million fight with Anthony Joshua.

      Danny Vincent, director of MTK Football, outside his homeCredit: .
      He founded MTK Global in 2012 and the firm now has more than 250 fighters on its books.
      In 2017 he claimed to have stepped away from the company, but he recently admitted he is still heavily involved in the fight trade.
      The source said: “It’s harder to find a boxer not linked to Kinahan than one who is. He dominates the boxing world and everyone knows it.”
      Kinahan operates in the shadows and is not registered with the British Board Of ­Boxing, or the Football Association, leaving them powerless to regulate him.
      In 2007, Kinahan and his ­younger brother Christy Jnr were held by police in Spain on suspicion of drug-smuggling. He was not charged. His father — known as “the Dapper Don” — is said to have passed on control of the cartel’s narcotics and money-laundering operation to him in 2016.
      Prior to moving to Dubai — where his dad and brother also live — he is alleged to have helped the cartel to amass a ­ fortune from drug-trafficking.
      Ireland’s Criminal Assets Bureau filed a high-court ­affidavit describing how ­Kinahan managed and ­controlled the day-to-day operations of the gang.

      Lee Byrne, Troy Parrott and Dele Alli
      Police forces in three ­countries currently want to question him. And in 2016, Kinahan was the intended target of an horrific shooting in Dublin’s Regency Hotel.
      Six gunmen from the rival Hutch gang, including one dressed in drag and others disguised as police officers, stormed in with AK47 assault rifles during a boxing weigh-in.
      They murdered alleged cartel enforcer David Byrne and seriously injured associate Sean McGovern — but Kinahan escaped.
      After a BBC Panorama documentary investigated his links with both boxing and organised crime last month, he said in a statement: “There is no evidence or proof against me. I have said repeatedly I have no criminal record anywhere in the world.”
      Despite the allegations, sports stars appear to love him. Last month Amir Khan called him “one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met” while Tyson Fury and Billy Jo Saunders respectfully call him “Big Dan”.
      A respected boxing source told The Sun: “The boxers that he represents absolutely love him because he treats them like kings.
      “And all the people who support him will always say thwaat he hasn’t been convicted of any crimes, so why shouldn’t he be involved in boxing?”
      But another source from the fight world urged more caution.

      Kinahan has curried favour with dozens of players owed millions by a rogue watch-dealer who disappeared with their money
      The source, who has met Kinahan on several occasions, said: “He is very intelligent and very dangerous. He is comfortable knowing that you know of his reputation.
      “He pushes and probes you and sizes you up. It’s disconcerting and very difficult to deal with.” And while the Premier League and the FA may hope that Kinahan’s new ­football venture never gets off the ground, The Sun can reveal that he is already embedded at the game’s top table.
      Kinahan has curried favour with dozens of players owed millions by a rogue watch-dealer who disappeared with their money.
      Players from clubs including Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Leicester, Aston Villa, Burnley, Leeds and Middlesbrough were all fleeced after handing over up to £250,000 on the promise of being sold rare Richard Mille, Philippe Patek and vintage Rolex watches.
      The jeweller, who cannot be named for legal reasons, failed to deliver the goods to around 30 footballers, agents and other watch-traders despite pocketing the cash.
      Unable to get their money back after he went bankrupt, several stars reportedly turned to Kinahan, who agreed to help.
      A source said: “If you’re owed £250,000 and someone gets it back for you, you’ll like them no matter what their alleged past is.”
      Kinahan has also helped out when players have got into trouble in Dubai.The Sun was told that when a Premier League stalwart got into an altercation while on holiday there, “Kinahan sorted it out”.
      But while Kinahan and his ­associates are happy to court ­players for business, they will not tolerate disrespect.

      One England star p***ed off some of Kinahan’s gang in a nightclub and, shortly after, his watch was stolen. They are not to be messed with.
      Source

      The source said: “One England star p***ed off some of Kinahan’s gang in a nightclub and, shortly after, his watch was stolen. They are not to be messed with.”
      Links between Kinahan’s associates and young football stars have already begun to emerge.
      Spurs and England star Dele Alli and Troy Parrott, an Irish clubmate of his at Tottenham, were spotted in pictures taken on a winter break in Dubai with Lee Byrne, son of Liam Byrne, a key associate of Kinahan.
      Liam Byrne was previously named in court as being at “the very top tier” of organised crime in Ireland, and a “close and trusted associate and lieutenant of Daniel Kinahan”.
      So how will Premier League managers and owners ­handle the situation if, or when, a player signs to MTK?
      The reality is that the clubs may never know who they are dealing with. A source said Kinahan has been wooing a top-level football agent who has more than 150 ­players on his books.

      “Kinahan won’t start representing a player,” said the source. “He’ll just go and buy an agency and absorb it. And bang, he’ll be into football in a big way.
      “But no one will ever know because the Kinahan name will never appear on any paperwork.”
      But as he looks to expand his influence into the world’s most popular — and richest — sport, it is clear that Kinahan is not someone who can be ignored.

      Eddie Hearn says he was ‘a little surprised’ by the uproar over Daniel Kinahan being praised by Tyson Fury
      GOT a story? RING The Sun on 0207 782 4104 or WHATSAPP on 07423720250 or EMAIL exclusive@the-sun.co.uk More

    • 200 Shares139 Views

      in Soccer

      How ‘drugs kingpin’ linked to boxing and Tyson Fury is now planning to move into football

      by

      SITTING on a scruffy trading estate in a Lancashire village, the office of the MTK football agency seems a world away from the glitzy Premier League.
      Now it aims to grab a slice of the £500million spent each year on agency fees — and while company director Danny Vincent is a complete unknown, the founder of the business’s parent company, Daniel Kinahan, is certainly not.

      Tyson Fury with Daniel Kinahan

      Known as “Big Dan” by Tyson Fury, Kinahan made his name in the ­boxing world — and is also a ­notorious figure in his native Dublin.
      He has been accused by Irish police, courts and media, as well as the BBC’s Panorama, of being a drugs kingpin and organised crime boss — despite never having been convicted of any criminal offence.
      Kinahan, 43, has been labelled a senior figure in organised crime by Ireland’s high court, while a 2009 diplomatic cable sent to the Pentagon by a US Embassy described him as a “suspected international drug-trafficking figure”, resulting in him being banned from entering the US.
      And police in Ireland suspect the Kinahan cartel — founded by his convicted drug-smuggler father Christy, who is now living in Dubai — has made at least £1billion selling narcotics globally.

      MTK Football’s director Danny Vincent, 36, was surprised when The Sun called last week at his £200,000 home just a stone’s throw from Aintree racecourse.

      Kinahan has been accused by Irish police, courts and media, as well as the BBC’s Panorama, of being a drugs kingpin and organised crime bossCredit: Refer to Caption

      The building where MTK Football is registeredCredit: .
      The tattooed Liverpool FC fan was unprepared for questions — despite his company’s links with Kinahan.
      Vincent, who counts Kinahan’s cage- fighter pal Darren Till among his shareholders, claimed he knew ­nothing about the alleged crimelord.
      He said: “I’ve got nothing to do with that. I work with Darren Till.”

      When pressed again about Kinahan, he said: “No, no — it’s bang out of order knocking at my door.”
      Prior to that, Vincent had admitted to our reporter that MTK Football had no clients, adding: “We have only just started out. This is mad — I’m not used to all this.”
      While Vincent may claim not to know Kinahan, The Sun understands the alleged mobster is already on first-name terms with dozens of ­Premier League players and even a club chairman.

      Amir Khan called Kinahan ‘one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met’Credit: Reuters
      That is because Kinahan has been plotting his move into the world of football for at least five years, from his base in Dubai.
      One well-placed source connected to multiple Premier League players revealed: “Kinahan has been planning this for years. He has been getting close to players and close to agents.
      “He has got to know lots of them while living in Marbella and more recently since he moved to Dubai.
      “Both destinations are playgrounds for footballers and underworld figures ­— and those worlds collide in high-end restaurants, bars and clubs.
      “He will definitely end up representing top-level players at some point.”
      Kinahan’s blueprint for success is the world of boxing, where he has acted as an “adviser” to Tyson Fury ahead of his £400million fight with Anthony Joshua.

      Danny Vincent, director of MTK Football, outside his homeCredit: .
      He founded MTK Global in 2012 and the firm now has more than 250 fighters on its books.
      In 2017 he claimed to have stepped away from the company, but he recently admitted he is still heavily involved in the fight trade.
      The source said: “It’s harder to find a boxer not linked to Kinahan than one who is. He dominates the boxing world and everyone knows it.”
      Kinahan operates in the shadows and is not registered with the British Board Of ­Boxing, or the Football Association, leaving them powerless to regulate him.
      In 2007, Kinahan and his ­younger brother Christy Jnr were held by police in Spain on suspicion of drug-smuggling. He was not charged. His father — known as “the Dapper Don” — is said to have passed on control of the cartel’s narcotics and money-laundering operation to him in 2016.
      Prior to moving to Dubai — where his dad and brother also live — he is alleged to have helped the cartel to amass a ­ fortune from drug-trafficking.
      Ireland’s Criminal Assets Bureau filed a high-court ­affidavit describing how ­Kinahan managed and ­controlled the day-to-day operations of the gang.

      Lee Byrne, Troy Parrott and Dele Alli
      Police forces in three ­countries currently want to question him. And in 2016, Kinahan was the intended target of an horrific shooting in Dublin’s Regency Hotel.
      Six gunmen from the rival Hutch gang, including one dressed in drag and others disguised as police officers, stormed in with AK47 assault rifles during a boxing weigh-in.
      They murdered alleged cartel enforcer David Byrne and seriously injured associate Sean McGovern — but Kinahan escaped.
      After a BBC Panorama documentary investigated his links with both boxing and organised crime last month, he said in a statement: “There is no evidence or proof against me. I have said repeatedly I have no criminal record anywhere in the world.”
      Despite the allegations, sports stars appear to love him. Last month Amir Khan called him “one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met” while Tyson Fury and Billy Jo Saunders respectfully call him “Big Dan”.
      A respected boxing source told The Sun: “The boxers that he represents absolutely love him because he treats them like kings.
      “And all the people who support him will always say thwaat he hasn’t been convicted of any crimes, so why shouldn’t he be involved in boxing?”
      But another source from the fight world urged more caution.

      Kinahan has curried favour with dozens of players owed millions by a rogue watch-dealer who disappeared with their money
      The source, who has met Kinahan on several occasions, said: “He is very intelligent and very dangerous. He is comfortable knowing that you know of his reputation.
      “He pushes and probes you and sizes you up. It’s disconcerting and very difficult to deal with.” And while the Premier League and the FA may hope that Kinahan’s new ­football venture never gets off the ground, The Sun can reveal that he is already embedded at the game’s top table.
      Kinahan has curried favour with dozens of players owed millions by a rogue watch-dealer who disappeared with their money.
      Players from clubs including Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Leicester, Aston Villa, Burnley, Leeds and Middlesbrough were all fleeced after handing over up to £250,000 on the promise of being sold rare Richard Mille, Philippe Patek and vintage Rolex watches.
      The jeweller, who cannot be named for legal reasons, failed to deliver the goods to around 30 footballers, agents and other watch-traders despite pocketing the cash.
      Unable to get their money back after he went bankrupt, several stars turned to Kinahan, who agreed to help.
      A source said: “If you’re owed £250,000 and someone gets it back for you, you’ll like them no matter what their alleged past is.”
      Kinahan has also helped out when players have got into trouble in Dubai.The Sun was told that when a Premier League stalwart got into an altercation while on holiday there, “Kinahan sorted it out”.
      But while Kinahan and his ­associates are happy to court ­players for business, they will not tolerate disrespect.

      One England star p***ed off some of Kinahan’s gang in a nightclub and, shortly after, his watch was stolen. They are not to be messed with.
      Source

      The source said: “One England star p***ed off some of Kinahan’s gang in a nightclub and, shortly after, his watch was stolen. They are not to be messed with.”
      Links between Kinahan’s associates and young football stars have already begun to emerge.
      Spurs and England star Dele Alli and Troy Parrott, an Irish clubmate of his at Tottenham, were spotted in pictures taken on a winter break in Dubai with Lee Byrne, son of Liam Byrne, a key associate of Kinahan.
      Liam Byrne was previously named in court as being at “the very top tier” of organised crime in Ireland, and a “close and trusted associate and lieutenant of Daniel Kinahan”.
      So how will Premier League managers and owners ­handle the situation if, or when, a player signs to MTK?
      The reality is that the clubs may never know who they are dealing with. A source said Kinahan has been wooing a top-level football agent who has more than 150 ­players on his books.

      “Kinahan won’t start representing a player,” said the source. “He’ll just go and buy an agency and absorb it. And bang, he’ll be into football in a big way.
      “But no one will ever know because the Kinahan name will never appear on any paperwork.”
      But as he looks to expand his influence into the world’s most popular — and richest — sport, it is clear that Kinahan is not someone who can be ignored.

      Eddie Hearn says he was ‘a little surprised’ by the uproar over Daniel Kinahan being praised by Tyson Fury
      GOT a story? RING The Sun on 0207 782 4104 or WHATSAPP on 07423720250 or EMAIL exclusive@the-sun.co.uk More

    • 188 Shares99 Views

      in Soccer

      Wayne Bridge reveals kids keep interrupting him and wife Frankie having sex between homeschooling lessons

      by

      AS any parent will ­testify, home-schooling is not easy.
      But it has proven harder than most — or not, as the case may be — for Wayne and Frankie Bridge.

      Wayne Bridge says he and wife Frankie have ditched evening sex for quickies between lessons

      The former England star says the exhausted couple have ditched evening sex for quickies between lessons . . . but keep getting interrupted by the kids.
      While on I’m A Celebrity in 2016, Wayne had told his jungle campmates Down Under that he liked sex every day with his wife, former Saturdays singer Frankie.
      But that can be pretty tricky, what with the couple having sons Parker, seven, and Carter, five, in addition to Wayne’s 14-year-old son Jaydon from a previous relationship.
      Wayne, 40, says: “I’m up and down to be honest — it’s one of them because of our kids and the lockdown.

      Wayne says the couple’s kids keep interrupting them having sexCredit: Frankie Bridge Instagram
      “Bedtime’s become harder so [sex] has become a daytime thing.
      “But that’s also been quite tough because of home- schooling . . . it’s quite difficult.
      “There have been times with them coming close to catching us!
      “I like a late-night one but my missus isn’t as keen — she likes a bit earlier, and she likes to go to bed early as well. I do like daytime [sex] as well — it makes you feel good afterwards.”

      While on I’m A Celebrity in 2016, Wayne had told his jungle mates that he liked sex every day with his wifeCredit: Brian Roberts
      Unlike most parents I know, who are too frazzled to do anything after 4pm bar crack open the Chablis, Wayne ­reckons the couple still have great chemistry.
      They amused fans last April by taking part in the Flip The Switch TikTok challenge, swapping clothes in a hilarious clip.
      Last month, ever the romantic, Wayne says he got his stunning wife a Valentine’s Day card bearing the words: “You still make my kn*b throb.”
      He adds, poetically: “You can be together for a long time and it doesn’t make it do it, but she still makes me stand to attention.

      Wayne showed off his impressive abs while in the jungle showerCredit: Rex Features
      “So I thought it was a good card. She liked it.”
      He and Frankie, 32, were introduced by comic James Corden at a club when Wayne was on a boozy night out with the Late Late Show host.
      They swapped numbers and exchanged a few early ­messages but, says Wayne, Frankie “pied me off on text” before they finally got together.
      Their first date in 2011 was at posh ­Japanese restaurant Zuma, in London, and they tied the knot in 2014.

      Wayne and Frankie amused fans last April by taking part in the Flip The Switch TikTok challengeCredit: Instagram

      The couple swapped clothes in the hilarious clipCredit: Instagram
      And while Frankie has walked red ­carpets for the past 20 years — she was in child group S Club 8 before joining The Saturdays — Wayne is also increasingly a celebrity in his own right.
      After finishing fifth on I’m A Celeb, he went on to win C4’s Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins in 2019.
      It’s safe to suggest he has long had the ­champagne-swilling, celeb lifestyle down pat, though.
      Of his erstwhile boozy days as a £90k-a-week footballer, he says his drinking got so bad he once ended up having to hitch a ride home on a milk float to get to training.

      Wayne was capped 36 times for England between 2002 and 2009Credit: Getty
      On the pitch Wayne, capped 36 times for his country between 2002 and 2009, was equally ­troublesome — once telling then-boss Jose Mourinho to “f*** off”, prompting the Portuguese coach to never talk to him again.
      He tells Archie Curzon on The Rig Biz podcast:  “I’ve been in trouble for football — not turning up for training, or not turning up on time, or drinking before training and stuff. I’ve been barred from a few places.
      “When I first started at Southampton, the drinking culture was still there.
      “But I’ve got a great story — I got home on a milk float once. I didn’t know where I was, I walked outside and there was a milk float.

      The couple have two sons together, Parker, seven, and Carter, five
      “I said, ‘Mate, you’ve got to get me back. I’ve got training!’ I was out in Winchester.
      “I was with a mate and he’d taken me back to a house party and I’d fallen asleep and woken up, and thought, ‘Oh no’. So I got a lift home from a milk float. It took ages.
      “I said my fan belt had broken, but then (manager) Glenn Hoddle called me into the office and said, ‘I won’t fine you for being honest but next time you’re gonna get fined’.
      “These days you can’t do anything because of social media.”

      Wayne says Frankie ‘pied him off on text’ before they finally got together
      Wayne recalled that at the 2002 World Cup, having been beaten 2-1 in the quarter-finals by Brazil, the England squad headed to the airport without him, after he slept through their meeting-up time.
      “In Japan, we’d finished the World Cup,” he explains.
      “I woke up, we’d had a night out, and I’d been left behind. They forgot about me. They left me in the hotel. How bad’s that?
      “The night out had been in the hotel, we couldn’t really go out — whenever we left the hotel it was just like carnage, hounded by people.”

      Wayne won Channel 4’s Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins in 2019Credit: Channel 4
      Having made his debut with Southampton in 1998, Wayne stayed there for five years, then joined Chelsea in 2003.
      During his six years at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea were Premier League ­champions twice.
      While there, Wayne had a bust-up with Jose that ­culminated in the self-proclaimed Special One sending him to ­Coventry — the idiom, not the Championship side.
      He explains: “There’s only one time when I lost it a ­little bit. He [Jose] was on my case in training — ­everything I did, there was something wrong with it, and I carried on.

      Wayne and Frankie tied the knot in July 2014
      “Eventually I turned to him and said, ‘What is your f***ing problem?’. And he didn’t say anything and I said, ‘Seriously, what is your f***ing problem?’
      “He never answered me at all . . . to this day. He never said a thing to me, and he never spoke to me after.
      “He doesn’t use that method with everyone, so he’s either had enough of you or he’s hoping for a reaction.”
      Wayne insists he and Jose, 58, eventually patch­ed up their differences.

      Wayne once told then-boss Jose Mourinho to ‘f*** off’, prompting the Portuguese coach to never talk to him againCredit: PA:Press Association
      He claims Jose regularly threw pre- season socials for the players — and even once booked US rap legend Snoop Dogg.
      Wayne adds: “He was good for the lads. There were times we’ve had pre-seasons in America, and he’s thrown a party.
      “And when I say thrown a party, I mean Snoop Dogg’s there — everyone’s there.
      “But you see how he treats some players and think it’s a bit harsh sometimes.

      Wayne stayed at Southampton for five years after making his debut in 1998Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
      “He’s a great coach but where he’s had a bit of a tough time at Man United and Tottenham, sometimes he looks like a spoilt brat throwing his teddies out of the pram.
      “I don’t think he deals with it that well sometimes. But it’s funny to watch, I love seeing that.”
      Wayne also helped the Blues to FA Cup and League Cup glory, before moving to Man City in 2009.
      He retired having been released from Championship club Reading in May 2014 after just 12 games.

      Since retiring from football, Wayne has spent his time dabbling on the showbiz circuitCredit: Brian Roberts – The Sun
      Since then, he has spent his time dabbling on the showbiz ­circuit and, more recently, in playing teacher in lockdown.
      He adds: “I’ve lacked self-confidence since I was a kid, mainly because of probably my intelligence in school.
      “I was always afraid to get up and speak in case I got it wrong. Football was a bit of a release for me.
      “And since my career ended I thought, ‘I need to do something’, and never found out what it is.

      Wayne says he is now ‘more happy within himself as a person’Credit: frankiebridge/Instagram

      “But I am really happy in the position I’m in and being able to stay at home with my kids.
      “I don’t want to chase the next big thing.
      “I’m more happy within myself as a person.”

      Frankie and Wayne Bridge invite viewers into their home for hilarious new BBC game show packed full of pranks and celeb house tours
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      in Soccer

      Pele reveals he had so many affairs he didn’t know how many kids he had

      by

      HE is the footballing legend who scored 12 goals in 14 World Cup matches — and had so many affairs that he must have lost count.
      Now, at the age of 80, Pele lays bare how he took advantage of women throwing themselves at his feet during the height of his sporting fame.

      Football legend Pele has revealed he had so many affairs he didn’t know how many kids he hadCredit: Getty – Contributor

      Now 80, Pele reveals all in a new Netflix documentaryCredit: Netflix

      And the Brazilian hero, who has been married three times, admits he has fathered so many children that he had been unaware that some of them even existed.
      He says: “In all honesty I’ve had a few affairs, some of which resulted in children, but I’ve only learned about them later.”
      Pele has seven known offspring, including Sandra Machado — who he refused to acknowledge even after the courts ruled in 1996 that she was his daughter.
      Five of his children — Kelly, 54, Edinho, 50, Jennifer, 42, and twins Joshua and Celeste, 24 — came from his first two marriages to Rosemeri dos Reis Cholbi and Assiria Lemos Seixas.

      Sandra, who died from ­cancer in 2006, was the result of an illicit romance with housemaid Anisia Machado. An affair in 1968 with journalist Lenita Kurtz produced daughter Flavia, 52.
      But in a new documentary out next week, Pele claims that he told his wives and girlfriends that he was unfaithful.

      Pele has seven known offspringCredit: PA:Press Association

      Pele was first married to Rosemeri dos Reis, who knew he was unfaithful to herCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      Assiria Lemos Seixas was Pele’s second wifeCredit: Time & Life Pictures
      He says: “My first wife, first girlfriend, knew about it. I never lied.”
      While that may be true, playing the field was a one-way street for Pele.

      Maria da Graca Xuxa — a 57-year-old former model who started seeing Pele when she was just 17 — revealed last month: “He said it was an open ­relationship, but open only to him.”
      In the Netflix film, simply entitled Pele, the South American shows a lack of ego normally associated with ­preening footballers.
      Shuffling carefully with his Zimmer frame, it is hard to believe elderly Pele was once the soccer superman who left countless defenders flat on their faces with his deft turns of speed.
      He has been dogged by health ­problems including a hip operation, infection and prostate condition.
      ‘We came from nothing, we didn’t have much’
      With his infectious grin, sublime skills and unmatched goal-scoring record, Pele has long been regarded as the best advert for the beautiful game.
      While his rival for the title of the greatest player of all time, the recently deceased Diego Maradona, was constantly dogged by scandal, the Brazilian has been venerated.
      A United Nations goodwill ambassador, he scored a remarkable 1,283 goals in 1,363 games, and is the only man ever to win three World Cups.
      Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, his parents were poor even though his father Dondinho played football for one of the top teams in the south eastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais.
      As a young boy, Pele would play with a ball made from a sock stuffed with paper and earned money by shining shoes before turning professional.
      He says: “We came from nothing — we didn’t have much. We were poor but my father always worked.”

      Maria da Graca Xuxa is a former model who started seeing Pele when she was just 17Credit: Time & Life Pictures

      Pele scored 1,283 goals in 1,363 games, and is the only man ever to win three World CupsCredit: Alamy
      It didn’t take long before his goalscoring talents were noticed.
      When his youth team coach Waldemar de Brito took Pele to Sao Paolo side Santos, he told them the 15-year-old unknown would become the “greatest player in the world.”
      Less than a year after making his league debut, Pele was called up for the national side and earned his first cap aged 16.
      The following summer, in 1958, he played a major role in Brazil’s first World Cup victory.
      Back then, some locals at the tournament in Sweden had never seen or met someone black.
      Pele recalls: “This Swedish girl kept rubbing my skin to see if it would come off.”

      Pele is now a United Nations goodwill ambassadorCredit: Rex Features
      In the final, the striker scored two amazing goals, including one where he flicked the ball into the air before ­volleying it, as his side defeated the hosts 5-2.
      After that, everyone in the world had heard of Pele, with people calling him the king of Brazil.
      He says: “I couldn’t go outside. Everywhere I went, people came up to me.”Pele had women flocking to his door from a young age.
      The constant attention of young women, who would cuddle up to the hero to have their photos taken, was tough on his first wife, who he wed in February 1966 when he was 25.
      Pele had known Rosemeri for many years and he believes he was not ready to tie the knot with her. He explains: “I married her because I met her when I was too young. I liked her a lot. But that passion when you are madly in love — we didn’t have any of that.”
      Their son Edinho developed a serious drug problem when he grew up and got involved with the trade of illegal substances.

      Pele now lives in a mansion near Sao Paulo with his third wife MarciaCredit: Reuters
      In 2017, the former goalkeeper was jailed for 12 years after being found guilty of drug trafficking and money laundering.
      Pele’s first marriage ended in 1982 after he was romantically linked to Brazilian model Xuxa, who later dated Formula 1 star Ayrton Senna.
      It took him another 12 years to walk down the aisle again, this time with gospel singer Assiria, but that ended in divorce in 2008.
      With all that personal turmoil it is perhaps surprising that Pele describes “getting knocked out of the World Cup in England” in 1966 as “the saddest moment in my life”.
      Having won two World Cups in a row, Brazil arrived as the favourites to lift the Jules Rimet trophy at Wembley Stadium.
      But they could not cope with a much more physical approach to the game, which saw defenders hacking down Pele in full flow.
      ‘At that moment, I didn’t want to be Pele’
      After they were knocked out in the group stage, he announced, at the age of just 26: “I don’t intend to play in the World Cup again.”
      It needed a firm word from Brazil’s military junta to persuade their star player to change his mind four years later.
      Some critics claim that the conservative Pele was too cosy with the ­country’s brutal dictator Emilio Medici.
      The player, who met and shook hands with Medici, admits “my doors were always open” to the government and that he knew about the state-backed tortures.
      But he knew that speaking out against the regime could result in a person being “disappeared.”
      Having agreed to return to the pitch, the still ­brilliant player was now gripped by terrible self-doubt and asked his manager not to select him for the starting 11 in Mexico 1970.

      Pele has been dubbed the ‘greatest player in the world’Credit: PA:Empics Sport
      He recalls: “At that moment, I didn’t want to be Pele. I didn’t like it. I prayed this was my last World Cup.” Even half a century on from that tournament, he weeps in the documentary as he recalls seeing the Brazil fans ­lining up in the streets to celebrate their success in the group stage.
      Anyone who questions what the game means to Pele only needs to watch this film. Through tears, he says: “I needed this World Cup.”
      He got it through sheer strength of will, scoring a header plus two selfless assists in his side’s 4-1 victory over Italy in the final.
      Even though the star made a fortune through advertising deals — including famously, promoting Viagra — money was not his number one motivation.
      Turning down moves to top European sides, he stuck with his first team ­Santos throughout the majority of his career before joining New York Cosmos at the end. More then ten million people watched his debut on US TV in 1975.
      Pele now lives in a beachfront mansion near Sao Paulo with his third wife Marcia, 48, who he married in the summer of 2016, but is not seen publicly very often due to his health ­problems. Thanks to his artistry on the pitch, he will always be cherished by the fans.
      And the lack of vanity from the true king of football will continue to endear him to anyone with just a passing interest in the sport.

      Glory, Pele concludes, was not what the game gave him.
      He says: “The greatest gift from ­victory isn’t the trophy, it’s the relief.”
      Pele streams on Netflix from Tuesday.

      Maradona and Pele play header challenge on game show
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      in Boxing

      I was left suicidal and plotting murder after I was raped at 10, says boxer who finally has closure following his ordeal

      by

      BOXER Callum Hancock stepped into the ring at Sheffield Arena in front of thousands of fans chanting his name and waving phone torch lights.
      Fighting as part of the undercard for Kell Brook’s 2018 clash with Michael Zerafa, it should have been the highlight of his career – but all that Callum could think about was his “dirty secret.”

      It should have been the fight of his life but Callum Hancock was preoccupied with something that happened many years beforeCredit: Alamy

      “I was looking round, thinking ‘you lot don’t have a clue,’” he says. 
      What the crowd had no idea about was that as a 10-year-old, Callum had been raped by a local bully and he’d spent the best part of two decades in a “dark” place.
      At his lowest points the scaffolder was battling suicidal thoughts and plotting to murder his perpetrator. 
      “I got to an age where I could no longer cope,” he says. “At that moment, I thought ‘I need to get this fight out of the way and get into therapy’”.

      Now 29, Callum is bravely sharing his story as part of our series, It Still Matters, to help raise awareness of the support available to sexual abuse victims, regardless of how long ago the abuse took place. 

      Callum is speaking out to help others who feel isolatedCredit: SOLO Syndication
      ‘He laughed then left me on my own’
      Callum says that his upbringing in Sheffield was filled “with love and joy and holidays”. He played outdoors, building dens and making tree swings with his brother – but was preyed on by an older neighbour.
      “He was the biggest bully boy on the estate I grew up on,” says Callum. “He was four or five years older than me and terrorised that estate for many years and made my life a misery.
      “He’d start off by taking my skateboard, taking my bike or spoiling my den, locking me in garages. Then it got heavier and heavier and he used to strip my clothes off and beat me up on a regular basis. He’d just do anything to spoil my day. 

      “And one day he rocked up and tricked me. He told me he was going to help me make a den. He went and got a hammer and nail. That’s when he sexually abused and raped me. I was 10.  
      “He smiled and laughed at me and said ‘stop crying you little faggot’. He just left me on my own.”

      Callum started boxing so that he could ‘fight back’Credit: Mirrorpix
      ‘The guilt and embarrassment set in’
      Sadly, Callum’s experiences are common. About five million – or one in six – men in the UK have been sexually abused. 
      “It was confusing,” he says of the aftermath. “When I went to secondary school, I remember fancying girls and feeling as though I was attracted to girls. But in my head I was thinking ‘I’ve been with a man, does this does this mean I’m gay?’ So I questioned my sexuality for many years. 
      “As I got a bit older, like 14, 15, 16, that’s where the guilt and the embarrassment and shame set in. It became unbearable. 
      “The main reason why I always kept my silence is I didn’t want my mum and dad to feel as if they’d missed something with me, as though they’d let me down in any way because they never have.”
      It took almost another decade before Callum felt ready to open up about his past, which had a huge impact on his mental health.
      “The world inside me was dark,” he says.
      Callum wanted revenge: to track down his perpetrator and kill him.
      “There was never a day that went by where I didn’t think about what happened,” he says. “The suicidal thoughts, the planning for murder was all so consuming.
      “I didn’t want to let anyone get close enough to know the real me. I kept everyone at arm’s length.”

      The fight that changed everything – Callum was the undercard for Kell Brook versus Michael ZerafaCredit: Alamy
      ‘I didn’t know how to cope’
      By this point, Callum was a gifted middleweight boxer – but his relationship with the sport was complicated. 
      His perpetrator had given him the nickname ‘Hitman’. 
      “When he used to beat me up and leave me on the floor, I’d wipe my tears and say ‘I’m going to get you back when I’m older’”, says Callum. 
      “And they all used to mock me. They said ‘oh it’s Hitman Hancock’. The Hitman stayed with me for many years.”
      Over time, boxing provided Callum with an outlet for the anger he felt.
      “I started boxing because I was badly bullied and then I started fighting back,” he says. “For many years, boxing was my saviour. I was releasing a lot of venom in the gym.”
      Unable to deal with his emotions, he distracted himself from the moment he woke up until he went to sleep at night. 
      “I was doing everything possible to keep my demons at bay,” he says. “Getting up at 4.30 or 5am, doing my runs, doing my circuits. Then I’d go straight to work. I’ll be scaffolding all day, then straight to the gym or boxing after work. I was getting involved in crime.
      “At night I would not get in bed until I was absolutely shattered. I was burning the candle at both ends and running myself into the ground purely because I didn’t know how to cope”.

      Sexual abuse in numbers

      669,000 adults are sexually assaulted in England and Wales every year

      1 in 5 women (8m) in the UK have been sexually abused
      1 in 6 men (5m) in the UK have been sexually abused
      1 in 20 children in the UK have been sexually abused
      Sexual abuse has been attributed to:
      15% of all suicides in the UK
      11% of all common mental health disorders in the UK
      7% of alcohol dependence disorders
      10% of drug dependence disorders
      15% of eating disorders
      17% of post-traumatic stress disorders
      (Source: Safeline)

      ‘I was no longer on my own’
      But aged 23, he exploded during a bust-up on a night out and was arrested for Grievous Bodily Harm. Shortly before he was handed a six-month prison sentence, his parents demanded to know what was causing his bad behaviour.
      “It took me ages to tell them,” he explains. “I was sat in our living room and I just froze. I eventually broke my silence. It was hard for my dad to handle. My mum just screamed the house down, saying ‘no no no’ and cried her eyes out. 
      “She came over to me and gave me a hug and said ‘it’s going to be alright from here on in. You’ve just taken the biggest step of your life’ and from there, slowly but surely, things did get better. 
      “I was no longer on my own and no longer consumed with my thoughts and my feelings. I accessed support and life was lifted.”
      The following year, Callum was out shopping for his mum’s birthday present when something extraordinary happened.
      “I bumped into my perpetrator,” he says. “I went to buy a gift bag to put my mum’s perfume in. I walked into the local shop and he was there, with his partner and two little girls. 
      “My heart missed a beat, I fell sick, I felt numb. That night I ended up sitting the perpetrator down at his house,” he says. 
      Callum hoped his perpetrator would admit what he had done but instead he claimed he only remembered parts. 
      It left Callum furious and once again desperate for revenge. He faced a choice of whether to take the law into his own hands or take a more positive route; he contacted the police.  
      The perpetrator – Jason Lyttle –  pleaded guilty to buggery and two counts of indecent assault. He was sentenced to six and a half years in prison.

      Jason Lyttle was imprisoned for his crimesCredit: Derbyshire Constabulary
      ‘I felt like an alien’
      Did the guilty verdict and seeing his abuser behind bars bring him closure?
      “If I’m being honest it didn’t,” he says. “It brought me short-term satisfaction, but it didn’t bring me closure. Support brought me closure, therapy brought me closure. Living my life, no longer focusing on the past brought me closure.”
      Callum was helped by The Safe Room – a support group run by Survivors Manchester.
      “The room is filled with other men who have been sexually assaulted, exploited and raped,” he says. “We’ll sit in that room, with facilitators, until we’re ready to leave. We can relate on so many levels. We can discuss things we don’t feel we can with anyone else. It’s a place of belonging and it’s been a lifesaver.”
      He says that men opening up about their emotions has come a long way since “the dinosaur ages” but there’s still a way to go.
      “It’s been conditioned in us to not cry,” he explains. “People will say ‘stop being a little girl, what are you crying for?’. I can now quite easily cry if it gets too much. I won’t feel embarrassed and I won’t feel ashamed.”
      After the promise he made himself at Sheffield arena in 2018, Callum decided to stop boxing. “I was neglecting myself,” he says. “So I pressed pause on boxing and am now concentrating on number one.”
      Today, he is training to be a life coach so that he can help others to feel less isolated. 
      “I know what it’s like to suffer in silence,” says Callum. “I know what it is like to feel alone, to be riddled with guilt and all that shame.

      “For a lifetime, I felt like an alien. I felt on my own. In actual fact I have never been alone. There are all these amazing people in these organisations, it’s just knowing where to access them.
      “I don’t forgive him – but I forgive myself.
      “I want others to know that they’re not alone, there are people who love them and places that would love to support them.”

      WHERE TO GET HELP

      Whenever it happened to you, it’s never too late to get support.

      If you’ve ever experienced sexual violence or sexual abuse, you can get confidential support from specialists who will listen to you, believe you and understand how hard it is to talk about.
      As a victim, you’re entitled to support whether you report the crime or not. Your rights are set out in full in the Victims’ Code. 
      Visit gov.uk/sexualabusesupport to see the support on offer. More

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      in Boxing

      Is Mike Tyson’s historic fight with Roy Jones Jnr the most sensational and controversial comeback in boxing history?

      by

      WITH raw punching power that sent dazed opponents crumbling to the canvas, the self-declared “baddest man on the planet” was the youngest heavyweight champion of the world.
      Now 14 years since hanging up his gloves, Mike Tyson, 54, is stepping back into the ring — but is not allowed to knock his challenger out.

      Is Mike Tyson v Roy Jones Jnr the most controversial comeback in boxing history?Credit: Triller

      Tonight, Tyson will make what is the most sensational and controversial comeback in boxing history.
      In what is supposed to be an “exhibition match” rather than a competitive bout, Iron Mike will trade blows with Roy Jones Jr.
      Jones, 51, has been a world champion in four weight classes from middle to heavyweight and only quit the ring two years ago.
      But due to their ages, the authorities in the US insist the fight can only go ahead with restrictions.

      Mike Tyson comes out of his corner in 1990, aged 24Credit: Getty Images – Getty
      Both men will have to wear bigger gloves to cushion the impact of punches and there will be a maximum of eight rounds, each lasting two minutes, rather than the normal three.
      But no one thinks that the now softly-spoken Tyson will play nicely once the bell rings.
      Frank Bruno, who felt the full ferocity of Iron Mike’s blows in a title fight in 1989 and then again in 1996, tells The Sun: “I have never heard of an exhibition fight.
      “The way Mike Tyson’s body is and mind is set, if someone tries to hit him, he will hit you harder.

      Tyson in his Instagram profile picture now, aged 54Credit: https://www.instagram.com/miketyson/
      “He has a hard punch and he has venom, he was nasty.”
      Frank, who lost to Tyson both times, jokes the only person who hit him as hard as Tyson “was the taxman”.
      ‘IT MAKES MOCKERY OF THE SPORT’
      Tyson is certainly talking about the rumble like a real boxer should.
      In the run-up to the bout at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, there was all the usual trash talk about hurting his opponent.

      Tyson with third wife Lakiha Spicer, who he married in 2009Credit: Getty Images
      He said: “Listen, I don’t know what you’re talking about that it’s not a real fight. It’s Mike Tyson and Roy Jones and I’m coming to fight and I hope he’s coming to fight. 
      “That’s all you need to know.”
      Tyson insisted his intention was to “disable my opponent” and that the bout would be “brutal”.
      He has been training hard to get close to the shape of his peak when he first won the world title in 1986 at the age of 20.

      First wife Robin and promoter Don King watch Tyson in 1988Credit: Getty Images – Getty
      In the other corner Jones claimed: “I love boxing. So if I die in boxing, I die a happy man.”
      Both men have a lot on the line in the fight. If they do not go at each other hard, they face ridicule from disappointed fans. But any injury could lead to permanent damage.
      The Sun’s legendary boxing correspondent Colin Hart says: “I am dead against this fight. To me it makes a mockery of the sport.
      “It is also highly dangerous, two men of 50-odd years of age to be throwing punches at each other.

      Actress Robin Givens was married to Mike Tyson for a yearCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      “Particularly Tyson, who even at 54 years of age, can still punch hard. It would never have been sanctioned by the British Board of Control.”
      So why would the white-bearded Tyson, who by all accounts has calmed down in recent years, want to fight again?
      Frank Bruno, 59, says: “Maybe he wants to get some more money, or it could be an ego thing.” Tyson says proceeds from the fight — on BT Sport Box Office and covered live on radio by talkSPORT and talkRADIO — will be going to charity. That is generous for a man who blew his £300million fortune to end up bankrupt in 2003.
      The publicity from his comeback is sure to swell the coffers of his numerous business interests though.

      Frank Bruno lands a blow in 1996 rematch with TysonCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
      On his Instagram page Tyson has been advertising his own line of T-shirts to his 13.5million followers.
      He is also promoting the idea of the Mike Tyson Legends Only League, where the “greatest athletes” will compete. This fight is intended to be a springboard for veterans from all kinds of sports to make a comeback.
      Alongside those interests, Tyson grows and sells his own brand of legal cannabis, has an animated TV show called Mike Tyson Mysteries and has appeared in films.
      Business acumen, however, has not always been his strength.

      Mike Tyson promoting his T-shirts on Instagram
      He used to pay a trainer £80,000 a year to look after his two Bengal tigers, splashed out £1.75million on a solid gold bathtub for his first wife, actress Robin Givens, and spent £635,000 on a watch.
      Money aside, it is also possible that Tyson has a point to prove tonight.
      When he was beaten by no-hoper Buster Douglas in 1990 — his first ever loss — it was one of the biggest upsets in sporting history. And he never really recovered.
      In 1992 he was jailed for raping 18-year-old Desiree Washington in a hotel room in July 1991.

      The former world champion has been getting into shapeCredit: Instagram @cannon_briggs
      After his release in 1995 he returned to the ring, beating Bruno in 1996 but losing twice to Evander Holyfield and once to Brit champion Lennox Lewis.
      Sun expert Colin, who interviewed Tyson many times, believes the unpredictable fighter has calmed down over the past few years.

      Fightin’ Tyson

      Biggest single fight purse: £22million v Evander Holyfield (1997)
      Career fight earnings: £300million
      Titles: Heavyweight
      Fights: 58
      Wins: 50
      Knockouts: 44
      Loses: 6
      No Contests: 2
      Likely weight: 15st 2lb
      Height: 5ft 10in
      Reach: 71in (180cm)

      ‘I’VE LIVED A WILD AND STRANGE LIFE’
      He says: “At long last he seems to have mellowed with age. I think he is far more stable now than he’s ever been in life.
      “In the olds days you could go to him in the morning and he’d be charming, he was one of the most articulate fighters I have met in my life. Then you’d go see him that afternoon and he’d want to kill you.”

      Tyson credits wife Lakiha with turning his life aroundCredit: Getty Images
      Tyson has admitted to allowing his life to spiral dangerously out of control. He once commented: “I’ve lived a wild and a strange life. 
      “I’ve used drugs, I’ve had physical altercations with dangerous people.
      “I’ve slept with guys’ wives and they wanted to kill me. I’m just happy to be here. It’s a miracle.’”
      Much of the credit for Tyson’s change of fortunes has to go third wife Lakiha Spicer, who he married in 2009.

      Tyson’s second marriage to Monica Turner lasted from 1997 to 2003Credit: Rex Features
      Both she and Tyson know what it is like to hit rock bottom.
      Lakiha, 43, was sent to prison in 2008 for defrauding a company owned by her father out of £60,000.
      She was pregnant with their first daughter, Milan, at the time. 
      Tyson turned to drugs while she served six months in jail, but on her release she helped him quit.

      Tyson and first wife Robin pose in their home in Los Angeles, CaliforniaCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      Tyson confessed: “I’m very happy me and my wife got together because I don’t know how I would have survived out there.”
      In the past, Tyson’s form for maintaining a relationship has not been good. 
      His first marriage to Robin, 55, lasted a year from 1988 to 1989. His second to Monica Turner lasted from 1997 to 2003.
      And he has fathered seven children from several partners.

      Roy Jones Jnr celebrates after he defeated David Telesco for the WBA, WBC and IBF light heavyweight titles on January 15, 2000Credit: Getty Images – Getty
      Tragically, his four-year-old daughter, Exodus, died in 2009 in a tragic treadmill accident.
      Despite all his setbacks, Tyson is a man who does not stay down.
      And as far as Bruno is concerned, there is nothing wrong with fighters lacing up their gloves again in their fifties.

      Jabbin’ Jones

      Biggest single fight purse: £10million v John Ruiz (2003)
      Career fight earnings: £40million
      Titles: Middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight plus Olympic silver medal
      Fights: 75
      Wins: 66
      Knockouts: 47
      Losses: 9 
      No contest: 0
      Likely weight: 15st
      Height: 5ft 11in
      Reach: 74in (188cm)

      After all, Bernard Hopkins became the oldest world champion at 48 when he won the IBF light heavyweight crown in 2013. And Bruno, who retired after suffering a severe eye injury during his second bout with Tyson, does not rule out a return himself.
      He says: “I’m a boxer and I always will be a boxer, but I’m happy with how my life is going.
      “Age is just a number. It’s how you feel. It’s what’s in your heart, in your spirit. I turn 60 next year but I feel 25.”
      Tyson v Jones Jr, BT Sport Box Office, from midnight. Follow live on talkSPORT and talkRADIO.

      Mike Tyson vs Roy Jones Jr fight simulated and ends in stunning knockout win as retired legends prepare for battle
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      in Soccer

      Jack Charlton’s widow refuses to blame football for his dementia diagnosis amid heading ban

      by

      ENGLAND’s victory in the 1966 World Cup is a moment so ingrained in the nation’s consciousness that it seems destined never to be forgotten.
      But for many of the heroes of that glorious day at Wembley Stadium it has now faded into a hazy mist, hard to recollect.

      Jack Charlton, pictured in 1970, died aged 85 earlier this yearCredit: Rex Features

      The towering defender was famous for his ability in the airCredit: Rex Features

      He was one of many players to be diagnosed with dementia, although his wife Pat believes the beautiful game isn’t to blame

      Nearly half of manager Sir Alf Ramsey’s illustrious 11 have succumbed to dementia, with Sir Bobby Charlton the latest to be diagnosed.
      This has reignited the long-running debate within the game about the link between heading the ball and brain disease, with England World Cup hat-trick hero Sir Geoff Hurst calling for a ban on children using their heads to strike a football.
      He has even offered to donate his own brain for dementia research after a year that has been “unbelievably brutal” for his 1966 team-mates.
      In the last 12 months 78-year-old Geoff has not only seen Sir Bobby diagnosed with dementia but also the deaths of team-mates Nobby Stiles and Bobby’s brother Jack, who both had the disease.

      The cruel reality of what this meant for the men involved is revealed in an intimate new documentary about Jack, who died in July.
      When he was recently shown his gold World Cup winner’s medal from 1966, he showed only ­surprise, saying: “Good grief, it’s me.”
      Towering defender Jack, 6ft 1½in, was famous for his ability in the air, often scoring goals with his head. But his family refuse to blame the beautiful game for his demise.
      His widow Pat says: “It’s like ­boxers getting hit in the head, nobody can actually prove it.

      “He’s enjoyed his football, would you take that away from him? I don’t think so.”
      BAD MEMORY
      In the film, Finding Jack Charlton, the star’s son John predicted it would not be the dementia which killed the England legend — and he was right. It was cancer which ended Jack’s life at the age of 85.
      The family were keen to show that while brain disease had diminished the once gregarious man, he was still living an active life to the end.

      Sir Geoff Hurst has called for a ban on children using their heads to strike a footballCredit: Getty

      Nearly half of the World Cup winning squad have succumbed to dementia

      Nobby Stiles (right), who also had the disease, died aged 78 in OctoberCredit: PA:Empics Sport

      Sir Bobby Charlton is the latest in the team to be diagnosedCredit: PA:Press Association
      In the documentary he is seen meeting fans at an event for his ­fishing charity, having fun with his grandchildren and going for a drink.
      The film, which will be released on DVD and streaming sites on ­Monday, was made by ITV football reporter Gabriel Clarke, who spent several days with Jack at his home on the outskirts of Newcastle in the year prior to his death.
      During that time medical experts recommended using music and archive footage as “trigger points” to help Jack to remember the past.
      If someone said the name Geoff Hurst he would go blank, but if he saw a picture of Sir Geoff he would recall his team-mate.

      He enjoyed his football, would you take that away from him? I don’t think so.
      Pat Charlton

      Pat did not tell Jack, her husband of six decades, that he had the ­condition because she didn’t want him to worry about it getting worse.
      She says: “I just wanted him to think he had a bad memory.”
      Gabriel believes brain damage may have been worse in the past, as the balls were heavier and players often played on, despite being concussed.
      And he tells The Sun: “My personal feeling is that there has to be more research, because five of the ten ­outfield players of the ’66 team have or had dementia.”
      As well as the Charlton brothers, holding midfielder Stiles, goal-scoring hero Martin Peters and left-back Ray Wilson also suffered from the disease.
      Yet in the population at large, only one in 14 people aged over 65 develops the condition.
      The other tragedy that Gabriel’s film highlights is the fall-out between the Charlton brothers.

      The link between heading a ball and brain disease is explored in new documentary Finding Jack Charlton

      Pat reveals she didn’t tell Jack that he had the ­condition because she didn’t want him to worry

      The pair had been married for six decadesCredit: PA:Press Association
      They might have been on the same side at Wembley against West Germany, but off the field the sibling rivalry was toxic.
      Jack admitted to resenting looking after his little brother, who was two years younger than him.
      And in one old interview Bobby told how his fiery sibling had punched him hard for questioning his decision-making.
      DIVIDED BROTHERS
      Bobby, 83, recalled: “I said, ‘You were stupid, giving that goal away’, and he punched me in the mouth straight off the couch.”
      The shy, softly spoken Bobby could not have been more different from the charismatic Jack, whose bellowing voice rang out along the corridors.
      In one interview Jack said of his brother: “I could have done more things without him than I could have done with him. I liked the sea, the countryside. Bobby didn’t.”
      Publicly those differences were glossed over. Jack chose Bobby as his best man at his wedding and presented him with the BBC Lifetime Achievement Award at the Sports Personality Of The Year ­ceremony in 2008.
      But in recent years the brothers stopped meeting altogether.

      I just wanted him to think he had a bad memory.
      Pat Charlton

      Jack’s son John reveals: “I haven’t seen uncle Bobby for a long, long time. It’s a shame.”
      Gabriel, 56, had asked if Bobby would be in the film but was told he couldn’t, due to his dementia.
      The documentary focuses on the brothers’ post-player managerial careers, in which Jack proved ­superior to Bobby, whose time as a soccer boss was over in three years.

      The documentary also looks at Jack’s relationship with brother BobbyCredit: Getty

      In recent years the brothers, pictured with Nobby Stiles, stopped meeting altogetherCredit: Getty

      While Jack was charismatic and loud, Bobby was softly spokenCredit: Getty
      Jack’s coaching prowess took him to Middlesbrough, Sheffield Wednesday, Newcastle United and finally the Republic of Ireland.
      While some pundits initially ­questioned the decision to put an Englishman in charge of the Irish national team in 1986, they soon changed their minds when he started winning games.
      Not only did Big Jack take the Republic to their first European Championship and two World Cup finals, his side also beat England 1-0 at Euro ’88.
      He was venerated in Ireland, becoming only the eighth person to be awarded honorary citizenship.
      Previously unseen footage shows Jack singing Irish songs, meeting the Pope at Italia ’90 and visiting Northern Ireland to try to smooth relations during the Troubles.
      These memories, though on film, are lost to him.
      While Jack looked through letters from Irish fans in the film, Pat said: “They think a lot of you in Ireland, don’t they?” and he replied: “I’ve no idea.”
      MISCHIEVOUS TWINKLE
      The first signs of dementia stretched back to the World Cup in the United States in 1994.
      Jack struggled to remember some of the players’ names and went for a brain scan, although the disease was not detected at that time.
      After Jack resigned as Ireland manager in 1996, when his side failed to qualify for the Euros, he suffered more health problems.
      In 2009 he fell during a holiday in Spain and three years later had a hip replacement following a collapse at home.
      The documentary shows him struggling to walk ­during a day out with the Jack Charlton Disabled Anglers Association in the summer of 2019.
      Despite being unsteady on his feet, he says in a jolly voice: “I’m falling down.”

      Players’ risk rates soar

      By Dr Willie Stewart

      By Dr WILLIE STEWART
      WE have shown that professional footballers are at high risk of death from neurodegenerative diseases – a five times higher rate with Alzheimer’s, four times higher with motor neurone ­disease and double with Parkinson’s.
      Other research we have conducted on the brains of former footballers with dementia often reveals a pathology that we recognise from boxers, rugby players and American Footballers whose only common denominator is exposure to brain injury and brain impacts.
       Dr Stewart, of Glasgow University, is a researcher into the dementia/football link.

      The film comes after a new study in the journal Science And ­Medicine In Football revealed heading a football just 20 times could affect the brain’s working memory by as much as 20 per cent.
      As for Jack, dementia did not rob him of that mischievous twinkle that fans came to love. It is just that as he said: “I could not remember a lot of the memories.”
      But now those moments will be stored forever on film.
      Finding Jack Charlton is available on DVD and download from November 23.

      Finding Jack Charlton is available from November 23Credit: Getty

      Trailer for Finding Jack Charlton
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