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      in Boxing

      Dillian Whyte vows to resurrect ‘Villain’ persona and warns Povetkin ‘the nastiness never left’ as he seeks revenge

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      DILLIAN WHYTE has binned the nice-guy act for Saturday’s must-win rerun with Alexander Povetkin after the Russian conned him with a fake friendship.Before the August clash in promoter Eddie Hearn’s back garden, the 41-year-old was neighbourly all through fight week and even during rounds.
      Brit Dillian Whyte says he won’t be fooled by Alexander Povetkin’s politenessCredit: /Dave Thompson#3/ Matchroom Boxing
      Alexander Povetkin will face the old Dillian Whyte this time, according to the Brixton starCredit: /Dave Thompson#3/ Matchroom Boxing
      But, after being dropped twice in the fourth, the violent veteran detonated an uppercut that turned Whyte’s lights off and ended his 1000-day stay at the top of the WBC rankings.
      This time round, on the war ravaged Rock of Gibraltar, Whyte has refused to share his luxury yacht with his foe and has vowed to resurrect his old ‘Dillian The Villain’ persona.
      “The nastiness never left but lots of things happen and change in life, so I am always trying to adapt,” The 32-year-old said.

      “I feel I am always under scrutiny, people are always saying ‘Dillian Whyte is a thug, he’s this and that’.
      “So I have tried to be a bit more nice, I have tried to be a bit more polite and sportsmanlike.
      “But sometimes I get pushed and think ‘f*** it, I am going to get criticised anyway, for whatever I do, so I am going to do whatever I want’.
      “Povetkin thinks he is smart, he likes to play this friendly game where he touches gloves before the fight and before every round but he has a nasty streak.
      “It wasn’t an issue in the fight but it is very hard to be nasty to someone who is being polite to you.
      “But this time I don’t care, this time I don’t give a f***. If he wants to be friendly, I don’t care, I will punch him in his throat.”
      Despite some spectacular swearing, Whyte has seemed ice cool all week building up to a night that could resurrect or end his career as a world title contender.
      To ease away the time aboard the Sunborn floating hotel the self-confessed gaming nerd has been playing his favourite fantasy battles.

      But his fighting avatar is as old-school as it gets with an early-1900’s icon always his go-to character.
      “I am a very relaxed guy,” he said. “I just like chilling, hanging out and playing Xbox with the boys.
      “We play Fight Night, Mortal Kombat, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. I am a gamer so I play all sorts of games. I do have a gaming chair at home in England but I don’t have it here.
      “When I play Fight Night I am always Jack Johnson, every time, I am very good with Jack Johnson. He was a legendary heavyweight so he’s my guy.”
      Hearn claimed this week that Whyte lost his mean streak for the shock loss thanks to the life-changing money he has been banking since his wild 2015 loss to Anthony Joshua made him a PPV star.
      Marvelous Marvin Hagler, who tragically died this month, always said it was hard to get up and run at 5am after a night in silk pyjamas but Whyte insists he is still sleeping rough and ready.
      “I don’t live nice,” he barked. “People who know me will tell you. I don’t party or have an entourage. 
      “I could be living in a much bigger place but I keep my life humble. I am not needy.
      “I don’t show up with Louis Vuitton or things like that, I have never been that guy. Everybody likes nice things and it is good when you work to get them but I am not a primadonna .
      “It’s Eddie Hearn who lives a comfortable life and he assumes I am too.
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      “He even asks me why I am not driving around in a Rolls Royce, with all the money I have earned, but that is not me.
      “I am really just a caveman warrior.”
      Watch Povetkin vs Whyte 2 on Saturday March 27, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
      Alexander Povetkin and Dillian Whyte face-off after weigh in for big fight More

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      in Soccer

      Jordan Henderson could MISS Euro 2020 through injury, admits Gareth Southgate in huge blow for England and Liverpool

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      GARETH SOUTHGATE says Jordan Henderson faces a race against time to be fit for the Euros this summer.The England midfielder may struggle to play for Liverpool before the end of the season because of a groin operation last month.
      Jordan Henderson faces a race against time to be fit for this summer’s EurosCredit: Reuters
      England boss Gareth Southgate will be desperate to have the midfielder backCredit: EPA
      Three Lions manager Southgate said: “In terms of promises, we can only say Hendo himself is very optimistic about how the operation went and the prognosis the specialist has given him as to what is possible.
      “But, of course, we are conscious that with any injury of that nature, there is a time defined.
      “We know it is going to be close to the end of the season.
      “We will just have to see how it goes.
      “He’ll give himself every chance of being available.
      “We also know he is likely to be a bit short of match minutes in high-level games.
      “There are a lot of things to take into consideration but that decision is a few weeks away.”
      Henderson, 30, has 58 caps for England and would be a big miss.
      But if he fails to make it, Jude Bellingham’s Euros hopes could improve.
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      The Borussia Dortmund kid, 17, won his second cap in the 5-0 win over San Marino and   Southgate said: “We saw in his games against Sevilla a level of performance and commitment that really made us think.
      “We want to help him to develop now under us.”
      Striker Harry Kane and defender Harry Maguire could return against Albania.
      But Marcus Rashford (foot) and Bukayo Saka (hamstring) are ruled out of tomorrow’s game and Wednesday’s Poland clash and have returned to Manchester United and Arsenal respectively.
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds

      Gareth Southgate says England vs San Marino was a game they expected to win comfortably after England’s 5-0 victory More

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      in Soccer

      Jude Bellingham is genuinely special and his decision to join Dortmund over Man Utd has been proved right

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      WHEN Jude Bellingham left Birmingham City, aged 16 and having made 44 first-team appearances, the club retired his No 22 shirt.As a life-long Bluenose, I heard a fair bit of stick flying around about that decision.
      Jude Bellingham has been proved right by snubbing Manchester United for DortmundCredit: Getty
      Troy Deeney writes exclusively for SunSportCredit: The Sun
      And I had to admit I thought, ‘****ing hell, he’s only been playing for nine months!’
      But when you see Bellingham now dictating games for Borussia Dortmund and looking so assured in the England midfield, you realise that this kid is genuinely special. He is absolute mustard.
      Midway through last season, he was being strongly linked with Manchester United and I spoke to a couple of mates on the coaching staff at Birmingham about it.
      I thought it might be a bit too soon for him to make such a massive move — but those guys who worked with him said: “Absolutely, 100 per cent, he would go to United and play straight away.”
      In the end, Jude moved to Dortmund, deciding that youngsters are far more likely to start more big matches in the Bundesliga than in the Premier League.
      The same route taken by another English kid, Jadon Sancho, who was in Watford’s academy as a schoolboy.
      Both have been proved right. Would Sancho be playing regularly for Manchester City, even now, had he stayed at the Etihad?
      Bellingham has already played 35 times for Dortmund, he was outstanding in the Champions League last-16 victory over Sevilla, and now gets to face City in the quarter-finals.
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      Gareth Southgate was impressed by Sancho’s decision to go to Germany at 17 and soon rewarded him with an England call-up.
      It’s now the same with Bellingham.
      Southgate has been so impressed with Bellingham that he pulled him out of the Under-21s —  as he clearly wants him in his squad for this summer’s Euros.
      Now you get to see plenty of 16 and 17-year-old kids with immense talent.
      They may have the feet but, at that age, they rarely have the footballing brain to be involved in a first-team squad — not Bellingham, though.
      This kid has incredible maturity. The way he can take in information, with so little experience, is seriously very rare.
      The first thing you notice about Bellingham is his athleticism — he is 6ft 2in and he gets around the pitch so well. That is  important for an elite modern midfielder, it’s the first thing that any scout or manager will look for.
      But then there is this arrogance — in footballing terms, not in terms of his personality — which comes from an in-built sense that he absolutely belongs in an England shirt and in a Dortmund shirt.
      Jude Bellingham pictured with Blues legend Trevor Francis as youngsterCredit: Instagram
      The starlet was running the show for Birmingham when he was just 16 in the ChampionshipCredit: Rex
      He knows he belongs and, clearly, his very experienced team-mates realise he belongs too.
      Bellingham is so comfortable on the ball and has a great eye for picking a pass.
      I was hoping he would start in England’s opening World Cup qualifier against San Marino at Wembley on Thursday.
      And, yes, he was playing against part-timers. But he also really impressed when he came on at half-time, for his second senior cap, and perhaps Southgate will start him against Albania tomorrow.
      There is still great pride among Birmingham City fans about him, even if some thought it was a bit much retiring the No 22 shirt.
      That move was taken to ‘inspire’ future academy players, although the club’s youth system is also being controversially restructured as they look to save money.
      Blues are currently in a relegation fight in the Championship. But it would not be an exaggeration to say that, if Bellingham had remained, they might have been fighting for a play-off place this season instead.
      Like Jack Grealish at Aston Villa, everything went through Bellingham — he was ‘The Man’, even though he was still a boy.
      Bellingham is now thriving at Dortmund following last summer’s moveCredit: Getty
      James Maddison and Jack Grealish have also risen to the top level from the Midlands football hotbedCredit: Getty
      Jude comes from Stourbridge and they say he is a great kid, who was at Blues from the age of eight.
      There was a serious buzz about him — and well before he made his first-team debut soon after his 16th birthday.
      And the buzz is now being fully justified.
      The Midlands is becoming a real hotbed of talent. The academies at Villa, West Brom and Coventry, where James Maddison developed, are all excellent set-ups.
      You might have seen Aston Villa’s academy kids holding Liverpool for an hour in an FA Cup tie, when their first-team squad was entirely ruled out through Covid, and they have some serious players.
      Louie Barry, who scored against Liverpool, and actually started in the Baggies’ academy is a real prospect.
      Birmingham fans have not had too much to shout about lately — but to see ‘one of our own’ playing for England at the Euros would certainly cheer us up.
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds

      Jude Bellingham trains with England squad for the first time More

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      in Soccer

      Sadio Mane hands Liverpool a boost by hinting he’ll stay even if they miss out on Champions League

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      SADIO MANE has dropped a huge hint that he intends to stick with Liverpool — even if Jurgen Klopp’s men fail to make next season’s Champions League.The Senegal star, speaking before an African Cup of Nations qualifier, in Congo made all the right noises when it was feared he might be tempted to move to Real Madrid this summer.
      Sadio Mane hinted he’ll stay at Liverpool next seasonCredit: Getty
      But he insisted: “I am happy, I am really enjoying sharing the pitch with my team-mates for Liverpool Football Club.”
      Mane still has over two years of his current deal with the fallen Prem champs but has so far ignored attempts by the club to stay for a further three years.
      An offer to double his salary to £200,000 has been on the table for almost 16 months.
      Yet he appears interested only in rallying his team mates for the battle to make the top four after this international break.
      He said: “We have to deal with the situation and not stop believing, but keep fighting, keep our motivation and go again.
      “When you are a fighter you never try to make excuses, we are here to find solutions.
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      Mane and Liverpool have had a frustrating year in their failed Premier League title defenceCredit: PA
      “Being together with my teammates always gives me high energy.
      “In football – and in life in general – you can’t expect anything and for years and years this complicated situation has not happened.
      “We have always been successful, but now this has happened and we can see it is like how life is.”

      The 28 year old added: “To change it? Nothing else but stick together, be positive and fight.
      “This is what we try to do to change this situation and I’m sure that it will change.
      “I am more proud than ever to be a Liverpool player.”
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
      Liverpool plan transfer raid on Sheff Utd for Sander Berge to replace Wijnaldum but face competition from Aston Villa More

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      in Soccer

      Hereford boss Josh Gowling plays Call of Duty with team and says ‘they think I’m a fossil so I showed them a few things’

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      YOU have heard about a manager slaughtering their players after a bad performance – metaphorically, at least.But one tech-savvy boss has taken to killing his squad virtually too in a bid to combat the limits the pandemic has imposed on team-bonding.
      Hereford manager Josh Gowling, left, is open to using computer games to bond with his National League North squadCredit: Instagram @hereford_fc
      Former Gillingham and Kidderminster defender Josh Gowling is shooting for the top as a manager, including going to war with his Hereford players… online
      Hereford chief Josh Gowling, 37, is one of the new generation of gaffers who grew up playing computer games.
      Lockdown has prevented the former Bournemouth defender from using traditional methods to bring his players closer together.
      So instead he has capitalised on his troops’ love of Call of Duty by setting up staff v squad ‘warzone’ sessions to boost morale.
      Gowling told SunSport: “Team bonding is a massive thing for a football club and not being able to go to any venue to do it, Call of Duty was the next best thing.
      “All of the lads play it. They think I’m a fossil because I’m 37 and that I don’t play computer games, so I had to show them a few things when I went on it.
      “The staff v lads warzones are great because when we next go into training, the lads are buzzing, especially when they’ve won and killed me a few times! 
      “We’ve done it a few times and it’s worked well for us. The lads are in groups on mics so three is communication, organisation and strategy all built into it.
      “We work a lot on pressing in training. One of the lads killed me and then messaged me saying, ‘Gaffer, your press wasn’t right there!’”
      “You have to understand what motivates players, what they do in down-time, what makes players happy. If we have a common theme, why not use it as a tool.
      The idea of a boss playing shoot-em-up computer games with their squad may seem strange at first to some.
      But the more you consider how gaming has become integral to many modern footballers’ lives – plus how difficult Covid-19 has made managing a team – the more it makes sense.
      Gowling used to play Football Manager during his playing days which saw him turn out for the likes of Gillingham, Grimsby and Danish side Herfolge.
      It has given him an understanding and appreciation of the gaming industry.
      While he has even incorporated methods he learnt from the manager series into real life, particularly when it comes to training workloads.
      The articulate former centre-back is also a qualified counsellor and has a psychology degree.
      Both feats have played a role in his style of management which contrasts with the old-school approaches he often experienced in his playing days.
      The ex-Kidderminster ace explained: “You have to understand what motivates players, what they do in their down-time. You need to know what makes players happy.
      Josh Gowling’s ideas are similar to those of Brighton chief Graham PotterCredit: PA
      “If we can all have a common theme that we enjoy, why not use it as a tool to bring us all together. We’ve done that with gaming and other things along the way. 
      “Our environment is very much about us building together as a group, rather than me dictating and barking orders. Players want more than that nowadays.”
      Gowling’s philosophy, which is reminiscent of Graham Potter’s style at Brighton, was working well for Hereford this season until the National League North was declared null and void in February due to Coronavirus.
      The Bulls play their first game in a month when they play National League Woking on Saturday in the FA Trophy semi-final.
      Win and their next clash will not be until May when the final takes place at Wembley. 
      Lose and the wait will be until September when the new season starts – and all the squad will be furloughed.
      The possibility of either a long delay or an interminable one for their next fixture sums up what has been a season of Covid-caused “mayhem”.
      Hereford have had clubs fail to turn up to matches at the last minute while players who have never had other jobs in their lives have had to pick up side-work to pay their bills.
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      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
      Gowling added: “Amazon delivery has about 20 of our players! 
      “No computer game can gear you for what we’ve gone through. 
      “But it shows you how resourceful we can be as a club. The lads have been adaptive and us staff have too during this nightmare.”
      Genius Call of Duty loadout ‘with NO recoil’ revealed by pro gamer FaZe Simp More

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      in Soccer

      Wales line up France friendly before Euro 2020 with Gareth Bale poised to square off against Kylian Mbappe

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      WALES are in talks to face France in a glamour pre-Euro 2020 friendly.The Dragons kick-off their Group A campaign against Switzerland in Baku on June 12.
      Wales are lining up a friendly with France ahead of this summer’s EurosCredit: Getty
      It could mean a showdown with PSG striker and Real Madrid target Kylian MbappeCredit: Getty
      But Gareth Bale and co are set to take on the star-studded World Cup holders as part of their preparations for the finals.
      It would set up an intriguing clash between the Real Madrid loanee and one of their top transfer targets in Kylian Mbappe.
      Wales already have a farewell game against Albania lined up in Cardiff on June 5.
      Prior to that, the Welsh FA plan to head to Portugal for a training camp at the end of May before a possible away day in France on June 2 at a venue to be confirmed.
      France have superstars Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and Paul Pogba in their ranks.
      Wales lost 3-1 to Belgium in their opening 2022 World Cup qualifier on Wednesday night.
      They faced the French in a friendly back in November 2017 under Chris Coleman with Les Bleus running out comfortable 2-0 winners at the Stade de France.
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      Following the proposed French test, Wales hope to have fans back for the visit of Albania to the Cardiff City Stadium.
      SunSport revealed last month the Welsh FA have expressed an interest in the Euro send-off match being a pilot event for bringing supporters, possibly even 5,000 fans, back into grounds.
      Wales will find out the extent of Joe Allen’s muscle injury on Friday following a scan.

      Swansea centre-back Brandon Cooper, 21, has been called up with James Lawrence unavailable for the next two games.
      The St Pauli defender, who started in Belgium, cannot travel to Cardiff and face Mexico and the Czech Republic due to Covid-19 restrictions.
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
      Wales captain Gareth Bale says he will return to Real Madrid at end of season More

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      in Boxing

      Dillian Whyte will find out soon enough if brutal Alexander Povetkin KO has made him gun-shy

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      DILLIAN WHYTE, brutally knocked out by Alexander Povetkin seven months ago, will find out if he’s gun-shy when he seeks vengeance on Saturday night.Whyte was out cold before he hit the canvas when Povetkin’s pulverising left uppercut crashed against his chin.
      Dillian Whyte will get his chance at revenge against Alexander Povetkin on Saturday nightCredit: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing
      Though he had fully recovered within minutes, there’s no knowing what psychological scars that devastating blow has left him with.
      Being gun-shy is a term used to describe the mental state that often affects fighters who have been on the receiving end of traumatic knockouts.
      It can cause someone who usually is aggressively attack-minded to go into their shell and be defensively cautious.
      On Saturday night in Gibraltar, Whyte will find out if he is afflicted with the condition as soon as the opening bell sounds and the man who damaged him so severely starts walking towards him.
      I believe Anthony Joshua was gun-shy in both his fights after Andy Ruiz bounced him off the floor four times to take his world heavyweight titles nearly two years ago in New York.
      Six months later in Saudi Arabia, Joshua got them back in the return with a unanimous points decision — but he was extremely tentative throughout. And he was just as cagey against Kubrat Pulev four months ago.
      Whyte’s shock defeat by the powerful Povetkin certainly cost him dear.Going into the ring with the Russian that night, he was the mandatory challenger for Tyson Fury’s WBC world heavyweight crown.
      The WBC has now relegated him to No 7 in the rankings — one below Joe Joyce. If that doesn’t fire up Dillian, nothing will.
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      Dillian Whyte was brutally knocked out in the first fight between the pairCredit: Mark Robinson
      They say revenge is sweet and also it’s best served cold. Whyte should be made aware history sometimes has a nasty habit of repeating itself.
      Perhaps the most famous case of a revenge bid turning disastrously sour was 58 years ago when Floyd Patterson tried to get his world heavyweight title back from Sonny Liston, who had KO’d him in the first round in Chicago.
      In the Las Vegas return Liston promptly blasted him to another opening-round humiliation. The only consolation for Floyd was that he had at least lasted four seconds longer!
      Closer to home, in 2013, George Groves complained bitterly he had been stopped prematurely in the ninth round when he challenged Carl Froch for his super-middleweight title in Manchester.
      Six months later, after successfully campaigning for an immediate return, Groves was flattened by a perfect right hook in the eighth in front of 80,000 awe-struck fans at Wembley.
      It will be fascinating to see how Whyte — the firm favourite — approaches Povetkin this time.
      Anthony Joshua exacted revenge on Andy Ruiz Jr, but did so with a very tentative performanceCredit: Getty
      George Groves felt he was stopped early against Carl Froch but was knocked out in the second boutCredit: Getty

      For someone who survived being stabbed and shot in his youth, he should not be fearful of anything or anyone.
      Povetkin still carries a concussive punch but if Dillian can’t beat a 41-year-old who was recently in hospital with Covid-19, he should be in another line of business.

      I COULDN’T get too excited when Lawrence Okolie stopped pathetic Pole Krzysztof Glowacki to win the vacant WBO world cruiserweight title.
      Okolie got rave reviews but the WBC, WBA and IBF haven’t got Glowacki in their top 15.
      Alexander Povetkin faces off against Dillian Whyte ahead of big fight rematch More

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      in Soccer

      Ryan Giggs and ex-girlfriend Kate Greville at loggerheads over who keeps their dog

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      RYAN Giggs and his former partner are at loggerheads over their dog after breaking up.The Man Utd great and PR worker Kate Greville both want ownership of six-month-old puppy Mac.
      Ryan Giggs and his former partner are at loggerheads over their pet dog after their split
      Ryan and PR worker Kate Greville both want ownership of six-month-old puppy MacCredit: Peter Powell
      The pair, who split after police were called to his home and arrested him on suspicion of assault, had even bought another dog, Atlas, which they hoped would be company for Mac.
      A source said: “Ryan and Kate got lots of joy from Mac and got another dog so he had a play companion.
      “But do they keep the dogs together or do they split them up and both take one?
      “They both want the dogs and neither side wants to give in.”
      Giggs, 46, and Kate had been living at his £1.7million mansion in Worsley, Gtr Manchester.
      But they separated following November’s incident.

      He was arrested on suspicion of assaulting Kate and another woman and is on bail waiting to see if he will be charged.
      Kate, 36, took the dog with her when she fled his home.
      Boss Giggs is on special leave by the Welsh FA but denies any wrongdoing.
      Kate and Ryan even bought another dog, Atlas, which they hoped would be company for Mac
      Kate had been living at Ryan’s £1.7million mansion in Worsley, Gtr Manchester before their split in November
      Giggs quit as Wales manager after the incident but denies any wrongdoing
      Ryan Giggs’s ex spotted with bruised lip in first outing since his assault arrest
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