• Hrgović survives knockdown to stun Itauma

• Croatian claims IBF title after wild comeback

• Reach out to Bryan on Bluesky or by email

Sam Noakes has scored the biggest win of his career, outclassing former world champion Denys Berinchyk to win a 10-round unanimous decision. The 29-year-old from Kent controlled the fight throughout, winning by scores of 100-90, 99-91 and 98-92.

That’s it for the undercard at the O2. The final countdown to Moses Itauma v Filip Hrgović is on.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Richard Pelham/Getty Images

© Photograph: Richard Pelham/Getty Images

© Photograph: Richard Pelham/Getty Images

If ever you wanted to understand the distinction between “winning the transfer market” and winning an actual football match, then this was the game for you. Tottenham’s first home fixture of the Premier League season began with adulatory focus on all their new players. It ended in decisive defeat to Newcastle as recruit after recruit failed to make their presence pay, while Newcastle’s forgotten forwards made hay. “Tottenham Hotspur, it’s happened again,” sang the Toon Army as if it needed pointing out.

Tottenham should have taken the lead in a first half they had the better of, but they had no response to impressive second-half strikes by Anthony Elanga and Yoanne Wissa. What had looked like green shoots of positivity withered to nothing. For a Newcastle team themselves a work in progress under Matthias Jaissle, this was a heartening victory achieved with many of their own additions to come in.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Action Images/Reuters

© Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Action Images/Reuters

© Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Action Images/Reuters

£380m = zero points: Big-spending Spurs humbled by Newcastle

Tom Hooper scores decisive try in a messy game as Les Kiss earns biggest scalp of his early tenure

Gordon gets us underway!

After Australia’s anthem it’s Argentina’s retort.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Ramiro Vega/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Ramiro Vega/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Ramiro Vega/AFP/Getty Images

• Second Test, day three: England 280 & 177-7; Pakistan 110

• Lawrence’s unbeaten 50 extends England’s advantage

It was one of those days at Lord’s. Rain meant just 24.5 overs were bowled and England’s already dominant position in this second Test meant overall jeopardy was in short supply. The spectators got a 50% refund but this only mildly offset their general frustration of following a sport that is so weather-dependent.

Yet for all this, it may in time prove a significant one for Dan Lawrence. During the two hours of play that were possible, and in hugely challenging conditions for the batters, Lawrence delivered an unbeaten 50 off 66 balls that cut through the gloom and showed his desire to make this latest stab at Test cricket count.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Ben Whitley/PA

© Photograph: Ben Whitley/PA

© Photograph: Ben Whitley/PA

Lawrence seizes his opportunity on rain-ruined day at Lord’s

• Second Test: South Africa 33-26 New Zealand

• Head coach changes front-row just before start

The Boks are back. Level at one apiece in the series after a return to what they do best. Blending power and directness, blood and thunder, to edge far enough ahead of New Zealand and withstand a gutsy comeback from the All Blacks. Throw in some brazen mischief from Rassie Erasmus, who swapped his entire front-row just an hour before kick-off, and this was much closer to a trademark Springboks performance after they were unrecognisable a week ago.

South Africa were far from flawless but constantly ferocious. It was not a knockout blow – not least given how the All Blacks finished the match – but it was some counterpunch after last week’s humbling. The third Test is scheduled for Johannesburg but they may consider relocating to Manila.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Rodger Bosch/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Rodger Bosch/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Rodger Bosch/AFP/Getty Images

Springboks level Greatest Rivalry series with blood-and-thunder victory over All Blacks

• Updates from 5.30pm (BST) kickoff

• Email Barry and follow us on Bluesky

Fun fact: Tottenham and Newcastle have met 61 times in the Premier League era without ever playing out a scoreless draw. Today could be the day for a dreary stalemate but it seems unlikely – fingers crossed for a glut of goals.

Premier League: Hull City have made it back-to-back wins upon their return to the top flight, with Liam Millar scoring the only goal of their game at Coventry City to deposit another three precious points in the bank. James Tarkowski left it until added time to cancel out Alex Scott’s opener as Bournemouth were held by Everton at the Vitality Stadium. In today’s early game, Liverpool and Nottingham Forest served up an entertaining 2-2 draw at Anfield, where the hosts had to come from behind twice to rescue a point.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Michael Zemanek/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Michael Zemanek/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Michael Zemanek/Shutterstock

• Leader abandons on stage eight with broken collarbone

• Pogacar also suffers concussion and ‘stable’ neck fracture

Tadej Pogacar requires surgery on a broken collarbone sustained in a crash on stage eight of the Vuelta a España on Saturday which forced him to abandon the race.

The five-time Tour de France champion hit the tarmac with 31km remaining, ending his bid to complete a career clean sweep of the three grand tours.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Josep Lago/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Josep Lago/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Josep Lago/AFP/Getty Images

• Updates from the second Test (4.10pm BST)

• Get in touch: mail Daniel and follow us on BlueSky

Pieter-Steph du Toit walks out with his wife and children on the occasion of his 100th Test.

I got to chat with him back in 2021. He has quite the story:

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Gallo Images/Getty Images

© Photograph: Gallo Images/Getty Images

© Photograph: Gallo Images/Getty Images

• Mourinho: Mbappé deserves award for ‘making history’

• ‘The best player in the world is not at PSG or Spain’

José Mourinho has said Kylian Mbappé deserves to win this year’s Ballon d’Or, arguing the award should go to the best player in the world rather than be decided by World Cup or Champions League success.

“The best players in the world, there are two, three or four of them, and we know who they are: they’re here,” the Real Madrid coach said on Saturday before their game against Málaga in La Liga.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Jose Breton/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Jose Breton/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Jose Breton/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

A malfunctioning electronic board will not have been on anyone’s bingo list of Liverpool complaints for the first Anfield game of Andoni Iraola’s tenure, but others sounded all too familiar. A slow start, a lack of intensity and defensive shortcomings were again evident as Liverpool salvaged a point against Nottingham Forest, while showing stronger foundations are required along with the excitement of £123m Bradley Barcola.

In front of some of the billionaires behind Liverpool, Iraola’s opening act on home soil offered more food for thought than the feast they may have been expecting. Forest were good value for the second 2-2 draw of the new Liverpool head coach’s reign and created enough clear openings to justify their frustration at the final outcome. A superb finish from Liverpool’s summer signing Víctor Muñoz cancelled out Morgan Gibbs-White’s penalty, after Alexander Isak had done the same to Dan Ndoye’s opener.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Liverpool FC/Getty Images

© Photograph: Liverpool FC/Getty Images

© Photograph: Liverpool FC/Getty Images

Iraola fumes at bungling fourth official for costing Liverpool a penalty

Bournemouth concede late equaliser to Everton, while Hull continue perfect start against Coventry

The Liverpool v Nottingham Forest match is turning into a right battle. Alexander Isak equalised for the Reds but Morgan Gibbs-White just slotted a beautiful penalty to put Forest ahead once again. All the updates:

Hull City make one change as Matt Crooks makes way for Hidemasa Morita, who will make his full Hull debut.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: John Sibley/Action Images/Reuters

© Photograph: John Sibley/Action Images/Reuters

© Photograph: John Sibley/Action Images/Reuters

• Carlton beat Melbourne 10.14 (74) to 7.13 (5) at MCG

• Sign up for our free weekly AFL newsletter

Carlton claimed victory over Melbourne in front of 91,733 fans at the MCG in their AFL wildcard match to extend their fairytale resurgence into an elimination final clash with Geelong.

Under Josh Fraser, the Blues fought back from a 1-8 start to the season that cost Michael Voss his job, to first make the wildcard round in 10th place, then reach the elimination final.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Michael Willson/AFL Photos/Getty Images

© Photograph: Michael Willson/AFL Photos/Getty Images

© Photograph: Michael Willson/AFL Photos/Getty Images

• Live updates from Anfield 12.30pm kick-off (BST)

• Email Scott | Reds finalise £123m Barcola deal

The teams are out! Liverpool all in red, Forest wearing a third-choice shirt that looks awfully like a recent Manchester City number. You’ll Never Walk Alone rings out, as Liverpool principal owner John Henry and the new vice-chairman Amit Bhatia watch from the stand. We’ll be off in a minute … and that minute will see fans remember the legendary Kevin Keegan, the star of Bill Shankly’s second great team, who recently passed. The warmest applause from all four corners of the ground, a mosaic on the Kop that reads KEVIN 7, and a chant of One Kevin Keegan.

On the subject of Forest and big-money transfers … David Ornstein of the Athletic was on TNT Sports earlier, reporting the possibility of their buying 19-year-old midfield prospect Harrison Armstrong from Everton for £40m. Should that come to pass, it’ll probably result in the Hill Dickinson toppling into the Mersey, but only after the whole structure is launched a couple of miles into the air by the steam from Everton supporters’ lugs. Armstrong is extremely highly rated, but Forest have pockets full of cash after selling Elliot Anderson to Manchester City, so this one is worth keeping an eye on.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Scott Heppell/Reuters

© Photograph: Scott Heppell/Reuters

© Photograph: Scott Heppell/Reuters

Signing of World Cup winner adds to sense that this is the summer when BlueCo got serious in transfer market

Carlo Cudicini was a very good goalkeeper. However, José Mourinho was ruthless when he became Chelsea manager in 2004. Very good was not good enough. Mourinho wanted the best and one of the main factors behind the Portuguese winning the Premier League during his first season in charge was the decision to replace Cudicini with Petr Cech.

There is an old line about a great goalkeeper being worth 15 points a season. It is not for nothing, for instance, that Brian Clough regarded Peter Shilton as one of his most important signings at Nottingham Forest. Shilton was key when Forest defied the odds by winning the Division One title in 1978 and there are plenty of other examples of promising teams taking the next step only after buying a top No 1.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Isabel Infantes/Reuters

© Photograph: Isabel Infantes/Reuters

© Photograph: Isabel Infantes/Reuters

Latest updates from Lord’s | County cricket live
Day two report | Sign up for the Spin | Mail Tim

Our very own Luke McLaughlin is getting into the soggy swing of things:

“Sticking with 90s Dad Rock rain-related tunes…”

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images

In a 1931 exhibition, Jackie Mitchell silenced the greats back-to-back. It sparked still-ongoing debates over legitimacy and opportunities for women in baseball

The Sultan of Swat sounded exasperated. “I don’t know what things are coming to,” Babe Ruth sighed during spring training in 1931.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen if they begin to let women in baseball,” he elaborated to reporters. “Of course, they will never make good. Why? Because they are too delicate. It would kill them to play ball everyday.”

Continue reading...

© Photograph: AP

© Photograph: AP

© Photograph: AP