CELEB NEWS Archives - Page 6 of 40

Is Novak Djokovic the greatest of all time (GOAT) in tennis? If you look at his accomplishments, the answer should be obvious and yet it still seems to be up for debate.

The Serbian star holds 24 grand slam singles titles and needs one more to be clear of Margaret Court, but if he gets to 25, will his critics finally be able to concede that he is the greatest? Don’t count on it.

Tennis fans who’ve been spoiled by the unparalleled success of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Djokovic – the so-called Big 3 of the men’s game – over the last 20 years are split, and they are fiercely loyal to the man they each perceive to be the GOAT.

Federer was the original. His Swiss swagger made him virtually untouchable early in his career, effortlessly dismantling the legacy of Pete Sampras’s 14 grand slam singles titles and seducing fans with his elegance on the court and his charm off it.

CELEB NEWS

Australian Open draw: Novak Djokovic handed monster route as Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper learn fate

Novak Djokovic could play Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open and may also have to face World No 2 Alexander Zverev and World No 1 Jannik Sinner if he is to win a 25th grand slam title in Melbourne.

The 37-year-old, who will be coached by Andy Murray at the opening grand slam of the season, is seeded seventh for the tournament he has won 10 times and was drawn in the same quarter as World No 3 Alcaraz

Djokovic and Alcaraz, 21, have faced each other in three grand slam finals as well as the Olympics final, won by the Serbian last year, with Zverev a possible opponent in the semis and defending champion Sinner on the opposite side of the draw.

Emma Raducanu was the only British player to draw a seed, meanwhile, as the former US Open champion takes on No 26 Ekaterina Alexandrova. British No 1 Katie Boulter, who is seeded 22nd, faces Rebecca Marino of Canada in her opening round.

BOXING

Eddie Hearn delivers update on Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua negotiations as he admits ‘timing’s everything’

Boxing fans worldwide have been dying to see the pair throw down for the best part of ten years and have taken aim at their promoters for not making the fight happen sooner.

But Matchrom Boxing chief Hearn has defended all parties involved, telling Betfred: “[There’s] number of reasons [why it hasn’t happened yet].

“The time it was going to happen, which was the time we signed for the fight, was when Tyson had his arbitration with Deontay Wilder for the rematch.

“We signed to fight Tyson Fury and I believe Tyson was going to fight Anthony Joshua, but through the court ruling, he had to fight Wilder.

Fury and Joshua were at the peak of their powers when they were on course to fight for the heavyweight marbles in 2021.

BOXING

Boxer older than Mike Tyson defended as statement released after Jake Paul call-out

Oliver McCall has been defended for fighting at 59, as Mike Tyson faced criticism for his November bout with Jake Paul over his age.

Tyson went to-toe-toe with the ‘Problem Child’ at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on November 15, where he was bested over the course of eight rounds via unanimous decision – looking slow and sluggish compared to his former self during the bout.

However, given his age of 58, and his absence from the ring in a professional capacity since 2005, fans were hardly surprised that Paul achieved victory over the former WBA, WBC and IBF heavyweight champion.

YouTuber-turned-pugilist Paul looked far fresher during the fight – also unsurprising given that he is 31 years Tyson’s junior – notching his professional record up to 11-1 with the victory. However, McCall failed to receive the same levels of criticism as Tyson four days later, when he entered the ring at the Texas Troubadour Theatre under the Country Box banner a year older than his fellow pugilist, to take on Stacy Frazier, 54.

BOXING

Usyk Summed Up Deontay Wilder’s Chances Of Ever Beating Anthony Joshua In Just 1 Word

Anthony Joshua versus Deontay Wilder is in danger of being the match-up that got away in this heavyweight era.

The two big punchers could have, at one stage, faced off for the undisputed crown, but failed talks and different paths put paid to that and both men would lost their belts.

Joshua was first upset by Andy Ruiz Jr and, though he won the unified titles back in the rematch, Wilder was then embroiled in a trilogy with Tyson Fury that he would come out relieved of his WBC belt.

‘AJ’ then lost again to Oleksandr Usyk and couldn’t reverse the result in a return fight. The lack of belts seemed to then make talks easier with his American rival, as well as the introduction of Riyadh Season and its deep pockets, and the pair were put on a collision course, fighting on the same card against different opponents with wins setting up the clash.

BOXING

January 08, 2025 January 09, 2025 News Pinoy boxer Mark Magsayo emerges as potential opponent for world champion Gervonta Davis

Mark Magsayo is being considered as a replacement opponent for Gervonta “Tank” Davis, potentially setting up a high-stakes matchup between the Filipino contender and the undefeated American superstar.

Reports recently surfaced that he is a potential replacement opponent for American boxing superstar Gervonta “Tank” Davis.

Viva Promotions, led by Brendan Gibbons, announced on Facebook that Magsayo is being considered if Davis’ scheduled bout against Lamont Roach on March 1 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, is canceled.

The post included a promotional poster featuring Magsayo and Davis, sparking excitement among fans.

Magsayo, ranked No. 2 in the junior lightweight division, is currently slated for a world title eliminator against Mexico’s Eduardo Hernandez. The winner of that bout will challenge reigning champion O’Shaquie Foster.

BOXING

Evander Holyfield Has No Doubt One Current World Champion Is ‘More Dangerous’ Than Mike Tyson

Evander Holyfield knows from experience just how dangerous Mike Tyson[tag] was.

‘Iron Mike’ remains the youngest world heavyweight champion in history at the age of 20 years, 4 months, and 22 days old, having worked his way up to the title after winning his first 19 professional fights by knockout, 12 of them in the first round.

He was undisputed champion from 1987 to 1990, and after a shock defeat to Buster Douglas, regained the world heavyweight title again in 1996.

That set up the fight against Holyfield, where Tyson was a big favourite, but ‘The Real Deal’ upset the odds to claim the 11th round knockout win.

That led to a rematch seven months later, which infamously ended by third round disqualification for Tyson after he bit the ear of Holyfield.

BOXING

Jai Opetaia scores vicious knockout of David Nyika as focus turns to Ramirez and Usyk

Jai Opetaia stopped David Nyika with a vicious knockout on Wednesday, retaining the IBF cruiserweight title on home soil in Australia.

Opetaia stopped the New Zealander in round four, landing a series of shots with Nyika stuck against the ropes and putting the challenger down and out with a brutal left hook.

Moments earlier, Opetaia had floored Nyika with a left and right at close range, but the latter was quick to stand. With a minute left in the round, however, there was always danger for Nyika, and Opetaia stalked him in pursuit of a finish.

It soon came, with Opetaia’s left hook putting Nyika facedown on the canvas and in need of treatment. A few minutes later, Nyika was sitting up, as Opetaia applauded from his corner.

CELEB NEWS

Red Bull Points Out Major Ferrari Risk After Lewis Hamilton Signing

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has hinted at a major problem Ferrari could face after the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton’s onboarding.

Horner pointed out that Hamilton and Charles Leclerc’s partnership could trigger friction since both drivers have the potential to be number one. At Red Bull, a conflict will not play out since Max Verstappen has been declared the number one driver while Liam Lawson, who joined this year, is to play the role of a supporting driver.

Hamilton joined Ferrari in search of his elusive eighth world title, having spent twelve years with Mercedes, where he contributed significantly to the team’s eight world championship titles and won six of his seven championships. However, the current ground effect era turned out to be complex for most F1 teams, especially Mercedes, as it failed to develop an all-rounder title contender for Hamilton that could dominate the season.

CELEB NEWS

The indoor golf league that Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy envisioned finally has its debut match

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Ludvig Aberg will be the answer to a trivia question: He made the first birdie in TGL history.

And with that, the indoor golf competition that Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy had envisioned for years was finally underway.

TGL had its debut match Tuesday night, with Rickie Fowler, Matt Fitzpatrick and Xander Schauffele of New York Golf Club taking on Shane Lowry, Wyndham Clark and Aberg of The Bay Golf Club in the opener.

Lowry struck the first shot at 9:15 p.m. Four minutes later, the first hole in TGL history was complete when Aberg rolled in a 9-footer for the first point in league history. Yes, it moves that quickly.

“This was just a dream conjured up,” Woods said on the ESPN broadcast. “Rory and I were talking about it; it’s hard to believe that dream came into reality and we were able to take golf into another stratosphere, really.”