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      in Soccer

      Roman Abramovich used to text former Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti a question mark whenever the Blues lost

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      ROMAN ABRAMOVICH used to look to former Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti for guidance when things weren’t going so well.The former Blues owner appointed the Italian in 2009 and he went on to win the double before being axed two years later.
      Roman Abramovich and Carlo Ancelotti exchanged extremely brief text messages
      Abramovich would send Ancelotti a question mark
      Ancelotti is still highly regarded among Blues staff and supporters.
      And it is has been revealed that he remained in contact with Abramovich and the pair shared text messages over the team’s struggles.
      Sky Italia journalist Fabio Caressa said: “Ancelotti told me that Abramovich also texted him, always the same, especially in times when things were not going well.
      “He only sent him a question mark.
      “Instead he, the genius that is Carlo, answered him only with an exclamation mark.”
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      It appears the 63-year-old was in no mood to give his former club any of his wisdom at the time of the messages.
      Ancelotti was managing rival club Everton at the time of some of the messages.
      During that time, Ancelotti oversaw a 1-0 Toffees win over Chelsea at Goodison Park.
      Perhaps the Russian sent him yet another exclamation mark on that occasion.
      Ancelotti departed Merseyside last summer, returning to another of his former clubs – Real Madrid.
      The Italian beat Max Allegri to the role and went on to win LaLiga and the Champions League last term. More

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      in Boxing

      Tyson Fury had argument with ‘bully’ Anthony Joshua over the phone and says ‘it didn’t fare too well for AJ’

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      TYSON FURY claims that he encountered the ‘true Anthony Joshua’ during a heated phone call with his rival, labelling the two-time world heavyweight champion a ‘bully’. Fury, 34, told The Lowdown that he once received an angry phone call from Joshua telling him what he was going to do to him when the pair eventually meet in the ring.
      Tyson Fury claims to have held a phone call with AJ where things got heatedCredit: Getty
      Fury said AJ was ‘a bully’Credit: PA
      Fury said: “He phoned me up one day in a mood to say he was gonna do this and do that to me. It didn’t fare too well for him, let’s say that… I just told him the truth. The truth always hurts.”
      The pair had a seemingly amicable relationship until quite recently, having sparred together as youngsters, talked on FaceTime and even bumped into each other on holiday in Marbella.
      Fury even said in an interview with Gary Neville on The Overlap that he respects AJ and reckons his biggest rival would ‘love him’ if they got to know each other.
      He also went on to say: “I respect him not only because of a boxing side of things, I respect him because he’s come from a very rough council estate.
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      “He was a drug dealer and all that sort of stuff in his early life – and he’s changed it all around to become a champion.”
      Despite this, when speaking on The Lowdown about their bust up, Fury elaborated: “Just out of the blue. He decided to give me a call, a telling off call.
      “I don’t think he liked what he heard on the end of it. There’s no telling me off anyway.
      “I just told him the truth and the truth always hurts. I have definitely encountered the true Anthony Joshua. Not a nice person, sort of a bully.
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      “Someone who thought he was gonna put the bluff on me. That’s what type of person he is.”
      The two have often come to blows on social media, with Joshua claiming Fury would never be able to sell out Wembley Stadium without him.
      The 32-year-old said: “If Fury could have sold out 90,000-capacity stadiums, then he would have done. But he never has had the ability to attract those large numbers, not until he fights me.”
      Fury and AJ had previously agreed to go head to head in an undisputed world heavyweight title fight, only for the fight collapse as Fury was ordered by an arbitration judge to face Deontay Wilder first.
      The fight was reportedly due to take place on 14th August in Saudi Arabia, but Fury took on Deontay Wilder in the third chapter of their trilogy fight last year in Nevada, USA.
      Meanwhile, Joshua faced off against Ukrainian heavyweight Oleksandr Usyk at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and lost his titles.
      Joshua called Fury out on social media after their fight collapsed, claiming that the WBC champion never really intended to fight him in the first place.
      He said: “Tyson Fury the world now sees you for the fraud you are. You’ve let boxing down! You lied to the fans and led them on. Used my name for clout not a fight.”
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      Joshua will attempt to reclaim his belts from Usyk on Saturday in Saudi.
      However, Fury and Joshua may never meet inside the squared circle following the Gypsy King’s retirement.

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      in Soccer

      How Nice could line up next season with five familiar faces including Aaron Ramsey, Nicolas Pepe and Edinson Cavani

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      NICE are attracting big names to the club including the signing of Aaron Ramsey.The Welshman, 31, arrived on a free transfer earlier this summer after he agreed to terminate his Juventus contract.
      Nice could have a strong Premier League influence on the team this season
      Aaron Ramsey has signed for Nice on a free transferCredit: Instagram @AaronRamsey
      Kasper Schmeichel has followed Ramsey to the South of FranceCredit: Getty
      He was swiftly joined in the South of France by Leicester stalwart Kasper Schmeichel
      Nice could add another pair of former Prem aces before the transfer window closes.
      The Ligue 1 side are reportedly in talks with Edinson Cavani regarding an ambitious move for the former Man United star.
      The Uruguayan, 35, has been a free agent since leaving Old Trafford at the end of last season.
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      Nice are eager to add goals to their side, having drawn their opening two Ligue 1 matches 1-1 this season.
      Cavani would have the pedigree to do just that – having been prolific in the French top flight for PSG prior to signing for United.
      He won’t be joined by former Red Devils team-mate Alex Telles, however, with Nice missing out on their former target to Sevilla.
      Boss Lucien Favre could look to Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe for more creativity.
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      Reports in France suggest that Nice are closing in on a season-long loan move for the Ivorian star
      It is possible Nice manager Lucien Favre could line-up with five former Prem players in his team this season, including former Southampton midfielder Mario Lemina.
      While another ex-Saint Morgan Schneiderlin also plays for Nice following a four-year spell at Everton.
      Fans may be familiar with defender Dante, who spent three years at Bayern Munich earlier in his career.
      While he has partnered ex-Barcelona defender Jean-Clair Todibo so far this season.
      Nice’s team is brimming with young French talent, with Under-21 internationals Khephren Thuram, Amine Gouiri and Melvin Bard all players to watch.
      Edinson Cavani is a free agent after leaving Man UnitedCredit: AFP
      Nicolas Pepe may be heading to OGC NiceCredit: Getty More

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      in Soccer

      ‘Argumentative’ Rafa Benitez had problems with Man Utd star Cristiano Ronaldo and John Terry, says Italy icon Materazzi

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      MARCO MATERAZZI says “argumentative” Rafa Benitez had “problems” with him, John Terry at Chelsea and even Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid.The 48-year-old Italian World Cup-winning defender played under the Spaniard at Inter Milan in 2010.
      Former Inter defender Marco Materazzi has blasted old boss Rafa Benitez
      He alleges the Spaniard and John Terry had problems at ChelseaCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
      Benitez and Cristiano Ronaldo also endured a difficult relationship at MadridCredit: Action Images – Reuters
      Since then, the former Everton centre-half has publicly criticised Benitez on several occasions.
      Now he has reignited the row by saying: “It’s not that he started well or ended badly at Inter. It’s that he didn’t even finish.”
      Benitez, 62, signed a two-year deal at Inter after six years in charge of Liverpool.
      But he was sacked just months later in December after winning the Fifa Club World Cup, following disappointing results in Serie A and Champions League.
      Materazzi, who famously goaded Zinedine Zidane into headbutting him in the 2006 World Cup final to get the Frenchman sent off, said: “He erased everything that [Jose] Mourinho had done.
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      “A manager is good when he builds empathy with players. We all had a good relationship with Mou, he did something really important.”
      Mourinho lifted the Champions League, Serie A and Coppa Italia with Inter before taking over Real Madrid.
      Materazzi said his replacement Benitez “surely has the knowledge” after he “won the Champions League at Liverpool against Milan”.
      However, he says the ex-Newcastle chief did not like him – and has also enjoyed a rocky relationship with club icons like Terry and Ronaldo.
      He continued: “At Inter he had problems with me.
      “At Napoli he had problems with Cannavaro, at Chelsea he had problems with Terry and at Real Madrid he had problems with Cristiano or with somebody.
      “He doesn’t like being told things and he’s always argumentative.
      “Is it always the other people’s fault? In any case, I thanked him because I tried to take advantage of those mistakes and get some benefit from them.” More

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      in Soccer

      Chelsea legend John Terry told ex-boss Antonio Conte to leave him out of squad for entire final season to give Ake a run

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      JOHN TERRY has revealed he told former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte to leave him out of the squad for the entirety of his final season – in order to give Nathan Ake a chance.JT was itching to see the Dutch youngster, 21 at the start of the 2016-17 campaign, given a chance at Stamford Bridge, even if it meant sacrificing his own minutes.
      Terry asked Ake to be handed more chances during his final season at the clubCredit: GETTY
      Terry was excited to see what a then 21-year-old Ake could produce
      Ake left Chelsea for Bournemouth and then secured a 2020 transfer to Man City, where he has won two Prem titles
      Speaking with snooker legend Stephen Hendry on an Instagram Live Q&A, Terry revealed he told Conte, who returned to Stamford Bridge on Sunday with Tottenham and was involved in a bust up with Thomas Tuchel, to give Ake the senior match-day experience, even if it was watching from the bench.
      But Ake only played four times all season and was sold to Bournemouth in the summer after Terry’s retirement, having spent the first half of the season on loan on the South Coast.
      Chelsea did go on to win the Premier League that season, with a back-three of Cesar Azpilicueta, David Luiz and Gary Cahill.
      Looking back at his final season in West London, Terry said: “I went to see [Conte] around Christmas time.
      “I was like ‘gaffer, listen you’re putting me on the bench and we’ve got Nathan Ake’, who for me was an unbelievably talented young player.
      “I said ‘put him on the bench because the chances of him coming on are really slim, it’s going to be great experience for him’.
      “‘He was on the bench for about seven, eight or ten games, and he ended up playing against Spurs in the [FA Cup] semi-final that year.
      “And it was just little stuff like that. I’m not sure players would have done what I did.”
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      Ake ultimately played just four times for Chelsea in 2016-17 before he was sold to Bournemouth for £20million.
      Terry quit the club to join Aston Villa, where he was assistant manager, but recently returned to Chelsea to join their academy staff.
      Ake, now 27, has gone on to receive international recognition with Holland and signed for Manchester City in a £40m deal in 2020, winning the Premier League in his first season at the Etihad.
      He also helped the club secure back-to-back Prem titles last season and also has an EFL Cup to his name.
      The Dutchman has started both of City’s opening Prem games this term, keeping two clean sheets in the process. More

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      in Boxing

      Boxing legend Floyd Mayweather boasts £19m LA mega mansion with stunning belt collection and incredible wine cellar

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      BOXING legend Floyd Mayweather gave fans a glimpse inside his lavish mansion.The boxing icon, who hung up his gloves in 2017 with an unbeaten 50-0 record, is believed to be worth around £1BILLION.
      Floyd Mayweather captioned this image: ‘My wine cellar in my Beverly Hills castle’Credit: Instagram @floydmayweather
      The undefeated champ showed off his amazing belt collectionCredit: Instagram @floydmayweather
      Nicknamed “Money”, he has never been shy in flaunting his wealth, giving an insight into his life of luxury.
      Mayweather, now 45, splashed out £19m in cash on a stunning Beverly Hills pad, previously taking to social media to show what it’s like on the inside.
      He even shelled out a further £370,000 on top of the sale price, having made an astonishing £74million from his final professional bout against Conor McGregor in 2017.
      Hundreds of expensive bottles of wines line the wall in his cellar, presumably for when he hosts parties with star-studded guest-lists.
      Mayweather has regularly been snapped on nights out drinking with huge wads of cash in his own strip club.
      In another picture, he is laying down on his couch in his spotless lounge area with the caption “relaxing in 90210.”
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      The 45-year-old is believed to be worth around £1billionCredit: Instagram @floydmayweather
      The outside of Floyd Mayweather’s house shows the life of luxury he is livingCredit: Jim Bartsch
      There are ten bathrooms throughout the luxury padCredit: Jim Bartsch
      A large chandelier hangs from the ceiling in his self proclaimed “castle” and a huge marble fireplace is lit on the opposite side of the room.
      But what is more extraordinary is his stunning belt collection.
      With 15 world titles in five weight classes it is no surprise that Mayweather has an extensive array of belts.
      He has also previously shown off his incredible diamond-encrusted timepieces.
      It is a far cry from his earlier life when he grew up amid poverty and drugs in Grand Rapids before his rise to the top.
      And now he boasts mansions across America including in Las Vegas.
      His crib has a private cinema on site to house 20 peopleCredit: Jim Bartsch
      The lounge is open plan with a wine room leading off itCredit: Jim Bartsch
      The master bedroom has walk-in wardrobes and private balcony overlooking the gardenCredit: Jim Bartsch More

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      in Boxing

      Legend Mike Tyson once KOed a garbage man with ‘titanic right hand’ for putting favourite pigeon in the bin

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      HEAVYWEIGHT legend Mike Tyson once revealed he knocked out a bin man after he threw his pet pigeon in the trash.Iron Mike managed 50 wins throughout his career with 44 knockouts but one punch, in particular, stands out in his memory.
      Mike Tyson revealed his love for pigeonsCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      It came when Tyson, who made his boxing comeback against Roy Jones Jr in November 2020, was just ten-years-old when he lost the first love of his life… a pigeon called Julius.
      The 56-year-old had just been forced to say goodbye to the bird after it passed away.
      But before he could hold a proper memorial, a bin man noticed Julius lifeless on a crate and disposed of him.
      Speaking to World Boxing Council, he revealed: “One morning I woke up and found my favourite pigeon, Julius, had died. I was devastated and was gonna use his crate as my stickball bat to honour him.
      “I left the crate on my stoop and went in to get something and I returned to see the sanitation man put the crate into the crusher.
      “I rushed him and caught him flush on the temple with a titanic right hand, he was out cold.”
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      Tyson also revealed another story when a boy confronted him and brutally ripped the head off a pigeon.
      He added: “The guy ripped the head off my pigeon. This was the first thing I ever loved in my life, the pigeon.
      “I don’t know why, I feel ridiculous just trying to explain it. [Pigeons] are just so much like people.”
      Mike Tyson’s first knockout was a garbage manCredit: Reuters More

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      in Boxing

      Tyson Fury was 6ft 4in and 14 STONE when he first turned up at amateur gym aged 14 & was banned from boxing in juniors

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      TYSON FURY was banned from fighting in junior competitions during his early teens because he weighed a whopping 14 STONE.The bruising WBC heavyweight champion was a goliath from a young age and dwarfed his training and sparring partners.
      Tyson Fury is one of the biggest fighters in the heavyweight divisionCredit: AP
      And The Gypsy King weighed a whopping 14 STONE at the tender age of 14Credit: REX
      The sheer size of Fury meant he couldn’t keep as junior until he was 15Credit: GETTY
      And the sheer size of the teenage Gypsy King meant former amateur coach Steve Egan didn’t get to see him in action until he was 16.
      Egan told SunSport: “He came in 6ft4in, 14 stones when he first came into our gym age 14 in 2002.
      “One day I turned to my dad and I said, ‘He’s going to be the heavyweight champion of the world.’
      “I told Tyson that he’s going to be the heavyweight champion of the world; he didn’t tell me.
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      “He loved it the fact that I told him he was going to be that good. He started to believe it. We always had a laugh.
      “He didn’t fight in the Juniors because he was too big. He was too big for his age, so I couldn’t get him any fights till he was 16.
      “When he was 14 there was no one else that was that big. Even at 15.
      “So he had to wait till he was 16 so he could box the 16-year-olds and the 17-year-olds. So he couldn’t compete before that.”
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      Fan favourite Fury is one of the most confident fighters on the planet, but that wasn’t always the case.
      Egan recalled: “I remember one time – I think it was his first fight – when we were doing the weigh-ins he wore a red boot and a blue boot. He had two pairs but just it did it for a giggle.
      “Yes, we all had a giggle back then too, being funny.
      “There were times he doubted himself too, as a lad, when things didn’t go right in the gym sometimes, and he would say, ‘How can I be world champion when I can’t do this.'”
      Brother Shane was the cause of a some Fury’s self-doubt, which Egan did his his best to eradicate.
      Egan said: “Once when he was sparring his brother Shane, and Shane had done well for once, Tyson was moaning, ‘How am I going to be world champion when I can’t even beat Shane, a novice!’
      “I said to him, ‘Shane knows you better than anyone else, you’ve been messing around with Shane ever since you’ve been little boys !
      “‘One day he’s going to get the better of you it’s just one of them things. No one else is going to know you like he does.
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      “‘So, today, it went all right for him he knew where you were coming from.’
      “I said, ‘I wish I was as f***ing rubbish as you are.'”
      Former coach Steve Egan always knew Tyson Fury was destined for greatnessCredit: POLARIS More