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    Conor McGregor meets David Beckham after becoming ‘yacht neighbours’ as he calls legend ‘big inspiration growing up’

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    Ex-Celtic star Anthony Stokes signs for Conor McGregor’s pub team 10 months after drugs conviction

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    Shocking moment boxing coach storms into ring and STRANGLES referee sparking huge brawl at youth tournament

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    Jake Paul sends heartfelt message to ex-boxing opponent Ben Askren who needs lung transplant after battling infection

    JAKE PAUL has issued a heartfelt message of support to former opponent Ben Askren – who needs a life-saving lung transplant.Askren – who was knocked out by Paul in April 2021 – has been in hospital for weeks over complications from severe pneumonia – following a staph infection.Jake Paul beat Ben Askren in 2021Credit: Getty Images – GettyThe former UFC star will need to undergo a lung transplant and has been placed on the waiting list as he continues to fight alongside his beloved wife Amy.Paul, ahead of his next fight on Saturday against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, spoke out in support of his old adversary.He said: “My prayers go out to him. I feel sorry for his family, I can’t imagine what they’re going through.“I just hope that he can recover because there’s so much more to life besides fighting and careers. READ MORE IN boxing “I’m wishing him the best and I’m here if they need any support.”Paul, 28, knocked out Askren, 40, in round one of what was his third professional boxing bout. He has since improved to 11-1 and returns against former middleweight world champion Chavez Jr, 39, in California. Askren has not fought since his boxing debut loss to Paul – also retiring from MMA in 2019 after a brief run in the UFC. Most read in BoxingThe father-of-three – to daughters Alex and Andy and son Ozi –  had been unresponsive and in a critical condition in a Las Vegas hospital earlier this month.He has since been moved to a facility near his home in Wisconsin.Paul’s promotional partner Nakisa Bidarian added: “(Jake) hit me up two weeks ago when the news broke. “He asked me if I had heard and I said no. He said ‘I wanted to reach out to his family but I think it’s inappropriate. But if they need anything, I’m there for them,’ and that’s who this kid is.”Askren with his wife Amy and three kidsNakisa Bidarian and Jake PaulCredit: Esther Lin / Most Valuable Promotions More

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    I’m Muhammad Ali’s grandson but kept it a secret when I walked into the gym… I took beatings like everyone else

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    Floyd Mayweather reveals he only had FIVE ‘tough’ fights in entire career as Conor McGregor and Canelo Alvarez snubbed

    FLOYD MAYWEATHER can count on one hand the amount of tough fights he had during his legendary career. Money officially retired in 2017 at 50-0 – a record that is yet to be matched – with world titles in FIVE different weights.Floyd Mayweather at the LA Lakers vs Orlando Magic gameCredit: GettyUp until his final bout – against UFC star Conor McGregor – the American beat 15 champions in a row. But he named Emanuel Augustus – who famously adopted the Drunken Master technique – as one of his toughest fights. Mayweather beat Augustus in 2000 but credited the unorthodox showboater as one of his hardest opponents alongside Miguel Cotto. He told FightHype: “I probably had six tough fights, if that, probably five tough fights.READ MORE IN boxing “Cotto was a tough fight, Emmanuel Augustus was tough, Cotto you know he was tough.”[I can name] those two that I can name off the top of my head, probably a few other fights but we got through it.”Augustus would act drunk during fights, prancing awkwardly around the ring to try and throw off his opponents. And even Mayweather struggled to cope with Augustus’ unusual style in their bout – which he won on points. Most read in BoxingCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSAugustus finished his 78-fight career with 38 wins, 34 defeats and six draws – losing his last six bouts before his 2011 retirement. Cotto meanwhile is a four-division world champion who faced Mayweather for the WBA light-middleweight title in 2012. Justis Huni’s incredible dressing room reaction just moments after Fabio Wardley’s comeback KOMayweather came up from welterweight to win over 12 rounds – but he was bloodied from the nose due to Cotto’s effective roughouse tactics. Cotto retired in 2017 after an iconic career just months after Mayweather’s final bout. Mayweather – who beat Canelo Alvarez in 2013 – left the sport as the richest boxer of all time – boasting of earnings over £1BILLION.Around half of that was made for his pair of wins over Manny Pacquiao and McGregor.The Pacquiao fight was over five years in the making and resulted in Mayweather outfoxing his great rival over the distance. Mayweather credited the ‘Drunken Master’ Emanuel Augustus as one of his toughest fightsCredit: YOUTUBE -Top Rank BoxingMiguel Cotto bloodied Mayweather’s nose in 2012Credit: Getty Images – GettyMayweather beat Manny Pacquiao in their 2015 super-fightCredit: ReutersAnd he told The Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast: “The best fighter I ever fought, probably was Manny Pacquiao. Because of his movement.”But he’s a helluva’ fighter and I can see why he won so many fights and I can see why he’s going down as a Hall of Famer, it’s just certain moves that he made.”But the roughest fighter probably was a guy named Emanuel Augustus. The Drunken Master. He was tough.”And Miguel Cotto was very, very physically strong. So, you’ve got different fighters, different days you feel different ways.”So some days you can go over there and you may not feel that good but you go over there and feel superb.”Read More on The SunMayweather – snubbing McGregor from any list of tough fights – continues to box in exhibition bouts after retiring. His last came in August 2024 against the grandson of notorious New York crime boss John Gotti. Mayweather retired after beating Conor McGregorCredit: GettyBut he continues to box in exhibition bouts, most recently against John Gotti IIICredit: Reuters More

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    Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford in another twist as UFC boss Dana White says he IS promoting super-fight

    DANA WHITE has insisted he WILL promote the Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford fight – marking yet another twist. Canelo is due to defend his undisputed super-middleweight titles against unbeaten American Crawford in September. Dana White insists he will promote Canelo Alvarez vs Terence CrawfordCredit: @danawhiteAnd Saudi boxing supremo Turki Alalshikh – the financial backer behind the bout – initially announced that UFC boss White would promote. The super-fight was set for the Las Vegas Raiders’ NFL stadium with Netflix on board to broadcast that bout. That was until Alalshikh made a U-turn and claimed Saudi-based Sela would promote and it would instead be on pay-per-view. White was probed on Alalshikh’s comments after UFC 316 – but hit back to maintain he will be involved in the fight. READ MORE IN boxing He said: “I’m promoting the fight. I’ll let you guys know when it’s time to let you guys know.”TKO Holdings – who own the UFC and WWE – signed a multi-year partnership to establish a boxing promotion alongside Saudi Arabia’s Turki Alalshikh.As well as a UFC-style boxing league, two super-fights were set to be promoted by TKO and White every year.And Canelo’s blockbuster against Crawford was due to kickstart the partnership. Most read in BoxingCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSThen all of a sudden, Alalshikh told Ring Magazine – which he owns – that the date of the bout was set to change.And he was also considering having the bout move to New York or Los Angeles – opposed to the £1.5BILLION, 65,000-seat Raiders Stadium.Three-weight world champion Vasily Lomachenko retires after more than 400 FIGHTS in lengthy videoIt caused huge confusion with the news the fight would also be under the Riyadh Season banner and on PPV – suggesting White and Netflix were out of the picture. But, White clarified: “Listen, when we’re at work in UFC headquarters, I’m in my own little world, man. I don’t pay attention to any of that s***. “I know what’s going on, I know what we’re doing, I don’t really pay attention to that stuff.”Alalshikh also posted: “My brother Dana will promote this fight It is the fight of Riyadh Season, and we have a deal with TKO to promote it and it will the biggest fight in boxing, and tomorrow I think I will tell the details and the platform and the place for this fight, me and and Dana.”White has partnered with Alalshikh before having held two events in Riyadh in the past.Canelo, 34, beat William Scull, 32, to regain the 168lb undisputed crown in early May as part of his four-bout deal with Alalshikh.Read More on The SunMeanwhile Crawford, 37, has not fought since moving up to 154lb to win the WBA title against Israil Madrimov, 30, in August 2024.Crawford with Turki Alalshikh and Canelo More

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    Awkward moment UFC icon Khabib Nurmagomedov snubs Kate Abdo’s handshake for religious reasons live on TV

    THIS is the awkward moment UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov refused to shake the hand of CBS Sports presenter Kate Abdo.Abdo was working for the broadcaster alongside the terrible trio of Thierry Henry, Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards for the Champions League final in Munich.Kate Abdo was involved in an awkward exchange with Khabib Nurmagomedov live on TVCredit: X @CBSSportsGolazoAbdo was snubbed by a handshake from the UFC legend for religious reasonsCredit: X @CBSSportsGolazoAbdo was joined in show by usual suspects Thierry Henry, Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards.Credit: X/CBSSportsGolazoThe match ended in a record-breaking defeat as Paris Saint-Germain thrashed Inter Milan 5-0.The quartet was joined by special guests Khabib Nurmagomedov, and streamer IShowSpeed immediately after the final whistle.Nurmagomedov embraced each member of the crew before Abdo, 43, held out her hand in a greeting.However, the unbeaten UFC star declined the offer by holding his hand on his chest instead, with Abdo quickly reclining it and offering an apology as she welcomed him to the show.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLThe reason for this is due to the 36-year-old’s religious beliefs as a devout Sunni Muslim.In Islam, it is a forbidden to touch a member of the opposite sex that they are not related to.A similar incident occurred back in 2020 with fellow MMA fighter Cynthia Calvillo, who revealed that Nurmagomedov refused to directly train with her.She explained to theScore: “It’s a little bit weird because of their religion… they won’t train with women.Most read in FootballBEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK”(Khabib) is still showing technique and stuff like that. So I still get to watch it. “But it doesn’t bother me … because they’re not really being directly rude to me.”Kate Abdo ‘subbed off’ CBS Sports Champions League final coverage as new presenter leaves Micah Richards ecstaticFans on social media praised Abdo’s response to the awkward exchange with the Dagestani native.One user said: “Mad respect to Kate for understanding afterwards and issuing an apology.”Another said: “Massive respect to Kate for understanding Khabib’s decision and not making a fuss of it in front of other pundits.”A third added: “Love how Khabib respectfully declined Kate’s handshake and she respected his approach. Love that from both of them.”Once that hurdle was cleared, Abdo asked the retired UFC fighter who he was supporting tonight, revealing he was there in support of PSG – despite him previously describing himself as a Real Madrid fan.In another crossover that nobody would have had on their Champions League bingo card, IShowSpeed was playfully confronted by Nurmagomedov about them possibly having a race or fight.Carragher, who hilariously tried resorting to cheating when he lost a race against Speed – real name Darren Hawkins – asked Nurmagomedov: “Do you think you could beat Speed in a fight or a race?”Nurmagomedov said he would be humble and conceded that Speed had the better of him in running, but declared he could easily outdo him in football IQ, before joking: “Don’t forget, between us there is nobody right now.”Abdo then suggested that Richards, ever the brunt of a few jokes on the show, was the “arm wrestling champion” of CBS.However, before the presenter – who married boxer Malik Scott last year – could finish her sentence, the ex-England international said: “No thank you.”Before the match itself, Abdo was subbed out of presenting duties by colleague Anita Nneka Jones, joking she had “other friends waiting for me tonight”.As Henry, Richards and Carragher groaned, Abdo pointed at Jones and added: “Look who’s coming!”Carra shouted “Anita!” before screaming as footage showed Abdo’s pals David Beckham and Tom Cruise hanging out the Allianz Arena.Abdo then waved as she walked off set, adding: “Bye, bye, bye.”Richards asked “Is it a substitution then?” – with Abdo pausing.Read More on The SunThe former Manchester City star then guffawed as Peter Schmeichel held the fourth official’s board to announce the substitution.Richards turned to Jones and bellowed: “Finally some real funny in the studio.” More