British and Irish Lions face anxious wait over fitness of Tomos Williams
The British and Irish Lions face an anxious wait over the fitness of Tomos Williams after the Wales scrum-half limped off in their 54-7 rout of Western Force.
Britain Sport News
Nigerian Dambe boxing goes global — amulets and charms included
ABUJA: The first strikes in Dambe are thrown before the boxers even leave their house. Fighters don charms and amulets, dye their fist or even score their arm with a razor, inserting traditional medicine before it scars over — all guaranteed to protect them in the ring or deliver a knock-out punch. Combined with prayers from “mallams,” or spiritual guides, they are unstoppable — not just in Nigeria, but increasingly around the world. The Dambe World Series kicked off in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, on Saturday in the latest evolution of a sport that traces its roots back centuries among west Africa’s Hausa speakers. “Instead of trying to Westernize it, or instead of trying to make it something else, for us the goal is to professionalize it,” said Maxwell Kalu, founder of the West African Fighting Championship, the group organizing the tournament. At the same time, a key goal is also “opening the door in terms of inviting people to compete in Nigeria.” Held on the ground of the national stadium and broadcast by DAZN, a British sports streaming service, the tournament is a far cry from the social tradition said to have been organized by 10th-century Hausa butchers. “This one is big, I’m very happy,” said Abdullahi “Coronavirus” Ali, a 20-year-old who has been fighting since he was a child. “The audience is growing every day.” As Coronavirus — nicknamed for his ferocious punches — spoke to AFP, two amateur fighters worked the ring behind him, in a pre-tournament exhibition match in Dei Dei, a working-class Abuja exurb. Chickens pecked under the rickety wooden stands while cigarette smoke wafted above the crowd. In Dambe, in lieu of a glove, the fighters each have one fist tightly bound in rope — their striking arm.
Joint wins Eastbourne title to end Eala’s history bid
EASTBOURNE, UK: Australian teenager Maya Joint saved four match points to clinch the WTA title at Eastbourne with a dramatic victory over Alexandra Eala that ended the Filipino’s history bid on Saturday. Joint survived a tense clash lasting two hours and 26 minutes, emerging with a 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (12/10) win to seal her second WTA Tour title. In the youngest Eastbourne final since 1981, world number 51 Joint staved off the four championship points in a gripping final-set tie-break. She finally wrapped up the title by drilling a backhand winner before collapsing to the turf in delight.
Mercedes talk of Verstappen is a lot of noise, says Horner
SPIELBERG, Austria :Red Bull team boss Christian Horner dismissed talk of Max Verstappen moving to Mercedes, maybe even next year, as just noise on Saturday and suggested that the four-times world champion was irritated by it.
And breathe...Britain's Draper calm before entering Wimbledon pressure cooker
LONDON :British tennis players come under the spotlight at Wimbledon like nowhere else and the full glare will be trained on world number four Jack Draper as he leads a sizeable home assault at the All England Club starting on Monday.
Club World Cup sees 1M empty seats in group stage - ESPN
The Club World Cup group stage saw a million empty seats in the stands over the 48 games in the tournament so far, a year before the United States hosts the 2026 World Cup.
Enzo Fernandez will be even better next season – Enzo Maresca
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca expects Enzo Fernandez to get even better as he prepares for a reunion with his former club Benfica.
Farrell pleased with Lions grit after early Force onslaught in Perth
PERTH :Coach Andy Farrell was pleased with how the British & Irish Lions stayed in the contest early on against the Western Force on Saturday before running away with a 54-7 victory to kick off their tour of Australia.