The Guardian

On 23 September 1926, two of the best heavyweights in American history met in front of 120,000 fans in Philadelphia. The fight drew in a nation The two fights between Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney rank with boxing’s most-storied championship bouts and are among the greatest sports spectacles ever seen in America. Wednesday marks the one hundredth anniversary of their first encounter. Dempsey bridg…

England batter’s agony on missing out at Edgbaston reminded us that however well you play, a century remains the ultimate validation “Nooooo!” There was something about Dan Lawrence’s pained groan at Edgbaston in England’s first innings of the third Test against Pakistan. For a split second it looked as if he might plunge his bat into the turf like some tormented Norse warrior. His stumps had alr…

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! While football managers moaning about referees to deflect from their own teams’ shortcomings is nothing new, few do performative, wounded, righteous indignation with quite the same brooding intensity and petulance as José Mourinho. It’s been more than two decades since his moaning preceded a pile-on from angry fans whose threats forced the Swedi…

Prime minister says measure is discriminatory when fans of other sports are not similarly restricted Andy Burnham has signalled he may lift the ban on drinking alcohol in the stands at football matches, suggesting it is “unfair” for fans to be singled out when it is permitted for other sports. The prime minister, a committed Everton fan who still attends matches, said there was a case for trialli…

Wieke Kaptein’s early goal gave Chelsea a winning start to their Champions League campaign against Austria Vienna but it was a far from comfortable evening for the Blues. A David v Goliath scale endeavour welcomed the visiting team at the Cherry Red Records stadium. The mammoth financial gulf between the two teams was excellently highlighted by the Austrian broadcaster ORF in the buildup, which r…

38-year-old had been facing attempted murder charge Former player will accept aggravated assault charge Former NFL star Antonio Brown plans to accept a plea deal on an attempted murder charge in Miami, his lawyer said Wednesday. Doing so will mean the former wide receiver avoids prison. Brown is scheduled to appear in court next Wednesday to make the deal final. He could face up to 30 years in pr…

Heeney, Warner, Blakey, Jordon and Bice attend exit meetings The five have not been to Swans HQ since August suspension Sydney’s five suspended players have offered an apology to teammates and colleagues after ending their weeks-long exile from the AFL club. Swans vice-captain Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Riley Bice on Wednesday appeared at Sydney’ base at Moore Park f…

Danish midfielder has been recuperating in homeland Eriksen: ‘I’m pleased we were able to find a solution’ Christian Eriksen and German side VfL Wolfsburg have agreed to terminate ⁠his contract by mutual consent, the club announced on Wednesday. The 34-year-old collapsed during a Denmark friendly ⁠against Ukraine in June. Eriksen said in July he would ​return to his homeland to undergo a ‌rehabil…

‘It wasn’t the team that we wanted and said we’d be’ England host Spain in Nations League on Saturday Harry Kane has described England’s World Cup semi-final defeat against Argentina as his most painful tournament exit because of how the team lost sight of who they were. The captain is determined to move on as quickly as possible and is chasing a statement performance against Spain at Wembley on …

Klopp, with Germany, and Xavi, with the Netherlands, face each other in Nations League after disappointing World Cup for both countries Before the latest instalment of a time-honoured international rivalry gearing up for two distinct new beginnings, Jürgen Klopp could not resist sprinkling a little of the old mischief. “The good thing is that we both have the exact same situation,” he said of Xav…

Going into the last round 11 points clear, the bowler Olly Hannon-Dalby is confident the favourites can clinch the title Olly Hannon‑Dalby, 6ft 7in of medium‑fast heritage craft, has just come out of training at Edgbaston. The last round of County Championship cricket is about to start and slow‑burn Warwickshire are nailed-on favourites . Hannon‑Dalby tries to pinpoint what has made the team tick…

‘I love going to the Middle East’ says Ferrari driver Qatar and Abu Dhabi races could still be cancelled With the finale of this year’s Formula One season still in doubt because of the war in the Middle East, Lewis Hamilton has said he hopes the sport will be able to conclude its calendar with the two scheduled rounds in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. F1 is pressing ahead with its original plan, although a…

Player reflects on critics, says ‘they’ve tried to kill me’ Jorge Jesus launches passionate defence of 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo said he considered quitting international football after the World Cup, but confirmed he plans to play on for Portugal and hopes to reach 1,000 goals for club and country. Ronaldo, who is 21 goals shy of the milestone, accepted some critics are trying to “kill” him …

‘I didn’t celebrate. I went home to rest. It was a hard fight’ Hrgovic stopped Briton to win the IBF heavyweight title Filip Hrgovic, the new IBF world heavyweight champion, has offered a candid insight into the ordeal he endured before beating Moses Itauma in a shock stoppage victory last month, revealing he absorbed so many heavy punches in the first eight rounds that he felt headaches for a nu…

QB suffered MCL, PCL and meniscus damage Surgery expected to result in full recovery Dart injured on opening drive of Rams defeat New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart is expected to undergo knee surgery that will end his 2026 season after suffering damage to his MCL, PCL and meniscus in Monday night’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams, according to reports Wednesday. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and …