Boxing / Sports

Hughie Fury avoided by ‘high-profile’ heavyweights who are more interested in becoming a ‘celebrity than a boxer’, says Peter Fury

The 26-year-old contender has been absent from the ring since he sealed a dominant points win over Mariusz Wach, despite suffering a gruesome cut in their December fight. Peter Fury has admitted that his son has lost respect for some of his big-name rivals after they turned down fight offers.

“Everybody realises he’s a lot better than what people say he is, so that’s my opinion,” Peter Fury told Sky Sports.

“Let me tell you, we’ve offered some high-profile people fights with Hughie – and they’ve looked up and said they’ll fight anyone. But when Hughie is mentioned, they don’t want to fight him, so that’s where it’s at.

“I don’t want to mention any names, but that’s where it is. We’ll find him an opponent. He’ll be fighting in September anyway.

“Absolutely [he’s lost respect]. Boxing is becoming a bit of a soap opera. That real fighting culture, there’s only so many around today. A lot of them, they are more into social media and being a celebrity than a boxer.”

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Basket Ball / Sports

Milwaukee win Game 4 to even up finals series

The Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns treated fans to the most exciting matchup of the NBA Finals to this point in Game 4 as the Bucks ultimately came out on top with a 109-103 hard-fought win at Fiserv Forum Wednesday night .

Devin Booker was phenomenal for the Suns as he finished with a game-high 42 points and made NBA history along the way as well. He was also involved in one of the most controversial plays of the night as he appeared to foul Jrue Holiday late in the fourth quarter, a foul that would have been his sixth of the game, which the officials seemingly disregarded. In the end, Booker’s offensive explosion wasn’t enough to overcome the Bucks as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton combined for 66 points to lead the charge for Milwaukee and, ultimately, help them even this series.

With the win, the Bucks carry all the momentum into Game 5 in Phoenix on Saturday night as this is now, essentially, a best-of-three series. Here are three takeaways from Milwaukee’s Game 4 win.

1. An all-time duel

Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson. Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley. Jerry West and John Havlicek. Khris Middleton and Devin Booker. Those are the four sets of opposing players in NBA history to both score 40 points in an NBA Finals games. The first six were all obvious Hall of Famers. If the game they played tonight is any indication, Middleton and Booker are headed down that same path.

Neither was particularly impressive in a first quarter that included only 43 total points. They then combined for 21 in the second before Booker erupted for a staggering 18 in the third without missing a shot. At that point, it looked as if the night belonged to him. Middleton had other ideas. With Booker relegated to the bench due to foul trouble, Middleton scored 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting. When Phoenix’s incredible defense took away all of their team-based actions, Middleton stepped into pick-and-roll jumpers that could not be denied. He …

Sports / Tennis

Roger Federer To Miss Tokyo Olympics

Roger Federer has announced that he will miss this month’s Tokyo Olympics due to a knee injury.

Posting on Twitter, the five-time year-end World No. 1 said, “During the grass-court season, I unfortunately experienced a setback with my knee, and have accepted that I must withdraw from the Tokyo Olympic Games. I am greatly disappointed, as it has been an honor and highlight of my career each time I have represented Switzerland.

“I have already begun rehabilitation in the hopes of returning to the tour later this summer. I wish the entire Swiss team the best of luck and I will be rooting hard from a far. As always Hopp Schwiz!”

Federer, who missed the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games due to his left knee, underwent two right knee surgeries in 2020 after the Australian Open.

He returned to the Tour in Doha in March this year and has a 9-4 match record from five tournament outings, with his best result being a run to the Wimbledon quarter-finals (l. to Hurkacz).

The 28-time ATP Masters 1000 champion won a doubles gold medal with Stan Wawrinka in Beijing in 2008 and a singles silver medal (l. to Murray) in London in 2012.…

Basket Ball / Hockey / NFL / Sports / Stories / Tennis

Best Brothers, Sisters and Twins in Sports

1. Manning Brothers
Peyton Manning, QB, Retired (45)
Eli Manning, QB, New York Giants (41)

Archie and Olivia’s boys — you know, Cooper’s younger brothers — are still the standard. Both Peyton and Eli are former No. 1 overall picks, Super Bowl MVPs and Saturday Night Live hosts.

2. Williams Sisters
Venus Williams, Tennis (41)
Serena Williams, Tennis (39)

Everyone thought Richard was the craziest cook in Compton, Calif., when he was training Venus and Serena. Everyone still thinks he’s a loon, but his unorthodox style resulted in a pair of champions.

3. Gasol Hermanos
Pau Gasol, C, Barcelona (41)
Marc Gasol, C, Los Angeles Lakers (36)

The Spanish 7-footers were traded for each other back when Pau was an All-Star and Marc was his baby-fatted kid brother. Times have changed. Pau is on the trade block and Marc is the All-Star.

24. Curry Brothers
Stephen Curry, G, Golden State Warriors (33)
Seth Curry, G, 76ers (31)

Dell’s sons inherited their old man’s 3-point stroke but mom Sonya is the real star.

5. Staal Brothers
Eric Staal, C, Carolina Hurricanes (35)
Marc Staal, D, New York Rangers (35)
Jordan Staal, C, Carolina Hurricanes (33)
Jared Staal, RW, Charlotte Checkers (31)

Quantity outweighs quality with these Thunder Bay, Ontario, thunder-stick clappers.

…

Boxing / Sports

Andy Ruiz Jr stood up Joshua’s power, but Otto Wallin can KO him – Salita

The Swedish heavyweight is eager to secure a big-name fight after his career-best win over Dominic Breazeale, a dominant points victory in February. “Otto and Andy gave the toughest challenge to two of the current world heavyweight champions,” promoter Dmitriy Salita hopes that Otto Wallin can secure a high stakes showdown with rival contender Andy Ruiz Jr.

 

Former unified champion Ruiz Jr sealed a unanimous decision win over Chris Arreola in May, and Salita hopes to guide his fighter Wallin into a high stakes showdown with the rival contender.

“Beating Breazeale the way he [Wallin] did shows how much he has improved since the Fury fight,” Salita said. “I am sure his size, skills and devotion to his craft is making world class fighters think twice about sharing the ring with him.

“Otto and Andy gave the toughest challenge to two of the current world heavyweight champions. It makes sense for them to fight, especially if Tyson Fury fights Anthony Joshua [in and undisputed world title fight].” Wallin emerged with credit from his only defeat, a bloody decision loss to Fury in September 2019, while Ruiz Jr stopped Anthony Joshua in June 2019, only to lose his world titles in an immediate rematch in December of that year.

Asked if Wallin could win by knockout, Salita said: “Definitely and I believe he has the skills, power and size to do it!”

Wallin has previously told Sky Sports that he hopes to earn a second fight with Fury, who went on to stop Deontay Wilder in his next fight to claim the WBC belt.

“My dream is to fight and win the world title so for right now I just have to keep fighting and improving so when I get the shot I’ll be ready to grab it with both hands,” said Wallin.

“The Tyson Fury rematch is not my top priority but I truly hope I get another shot at him.

“I just have to keep fighting and winning and show that I’m worthy of a rematch and when …

Football / Sports

Euro 2020 Team of the Tournament

GK: Gigi Donnarumma (Italy)

The imminent arrival of Gigi Donnarumma on a free transfer already looked like a sensational bit of business by Paris Saint-Germain – now it is looking like one of the best deals in history.

The 22-year-old was utterly immense as Italy won Euro 2020 in dramatic fashion, with their giant of a goalkeeper saving two penalties in the final, including the decisive spot-kick from Bukayo Saka.

The Arsenal teenager deserves the utmost sympathy for his miss because there is no more intimidating shot-stopper in the world right now, as underlined by the fact that Donnarumma is five for five in terms of shootouts, for club and country.

UEFA’s Player of the Tournament and our obvious choice for the No.1 jersey.

RB: Joakim Maehle (Denmark)

Atalanta have done it again: the masters of the transfer market have unearthed another gem.

Just over six months after signing Joakim Maehle from Genk for just €10 million (£8.5m/$11.9m), the versatile wing-back is now arguably worth three times that amount thanks to his sensational displays for surprise semi-finalists Denmark.

Despite being right-footed, Maehle proved a phenomenon on the left flank, scoring two goals and creating another.

Indeed, the 24-year-old produced the most outrageous assist of the tournament by finding Kasper Dolberg in the area with a stunning outside-of-the-boot cross in the quarter-final win over Czech Republic.

CB: Leonardo Bonucci (Italy)

What was truly incredible about Leonardo Bonucci’s Man of the Match-winning performance in the final was just how ridiculously easy it made it all look.

He was calmness personified. On two separate occasions, he nonchalantly flicked headers back to Donnarumma, even though Raheem Sterling was close by, looking to pounce on any mistake.

Bonucci, though, turned in a flawless, outrageously composed display.

His passing, as always, was sensational, while he was also on hand to score the crucial equaliser when Marco Verratti’s header came back off the post.

Bonucci has sometimes been accused of playing as more of a midfielder than a defender. At Euro 2020, he proved himself one of

…
Basket Ball / Sports

Nigeria Beat Argentina in exhibition game 94-71 two days after beating Team USA

Nigeria continues to tear things up on the hardwood ahead of the Summer Olympics.

Led by former NBA head coach Mike Brown, Nigeria followed up its 90-87 upset of Team USA with a 94-71 demolition against Argentina, the world’s No. 4 side. That’s two massive wins for D’Tigers as they ramp up ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. And they’re not just hitting shots on the court.

Jahlil Okafor led Nigeria with 15 points while Josh Okogie and Chimezie Metu had 10 each. Nigeria limited Argentina to 35.9 percent shooting from the floor while hitting 48.1 percent of its own shots. D’Tigers didn’t make an insane amount of triples this time around, but did well enough in other areas to win in a rout.

Many pundits and fans were blasting Team USA for losing to Nigeria, but it’s becoming clear D’Tigers are no pushovers. A 23-point win over Argentina shows Nigeria has the talent and coaching to make noise in the upcoming Olympics. Keep an eye on this group going forward.…

Sports / Tennis

Novak Djokovic wins Wimbledon to join Federer & Nadal as 20-time Grand Slam champion

World No 1 Novak Djokovic wins sixth Wimbledon title to claim sole ownership of fourth place on the list for most men’s singles titles at the All England Club, ahead of Bjorn Borg and Laurie Doherty; the Serb also becomes the fifth man in history to win the first three Slams of the season

Djokovic eventually overawed his Italian opponent 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 6-4 6-3 on Centre Court to become the first player since Rod Laver in 1969 to win the first three titles of the year, keeping him on track to emulate the Australian by claiming a calendar Grand Slam.

Throw in an Olympic singles gold medal in Tokyo, for which he will also be favorite, and Djokovic is on course to become the first man ever to win a Golden Slam. “That was more than a battle. Congratulations to Matteo for a fantastic tournament. It was a tough match today. He’s a true Italian hammer,” said Djokovic.

“Winning Wimbledon was always the biggest dream as a kid. I have to remember how special this is and not take it for granted and be aware this is a huge honor and privilege.

“From being a seven-year-old constructing a Wimbledon trophy out of raw materials to standing here with a sixth trophy. It’s incredible.”

On drawing level with Nadal and Federer, he added: “It means none of us three will stop!

“I have to pay a great tribute to Rafa and Roger. They are legends of our sport. The two most important players I ever faced.

“They are the reason I am where I am today. They made me realize what I had to do to improve. The last 10 years has been an incredible journey that is not stopping here.”

Djokovic has been a one-man brick wall in keeping the younger generation’s hands off the biggest titles, defeating Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and now Berrettini in Slam finals this year.

Big-serving Berrettini came into Wimbledon as one of the favorites having won his first grass-court title at Queen’s Club, …

Boxing / Sports

Tyson Fury must endure a ‘very frustrating’ wait for trilogy fight with Deontay Wilder which is set to be rescheduled in October

“Really frustrating for Tyson. By the time he gets into the ring, he will have been out for nearly 20 months,” promoter Frank Warren reflects on the postponement of Tyson Fury’s third fight against Deontay Wilder 

Britain’s WBC heavyweight champion was due to face Wilder in Las Vegas on July 24, but a Covid-19 outbreak in Fury’s training camp caused the postponement of their trilogy fight. Frank Warren’s, Fury’s UK promoter, confirmed the 32-year-old tested positive for Covid-19 and expects a new date to be finalized.

“It’s looking some time in October, which is a great shame it’s been postponed, but it is what it is,” Warren told BT Sport.

“Unfortunately, they in the camp and himself got tested positive for Covid-19. There’s nothing we can do about it.

“It’s the times we live in, so the fight is postponed. Pushed back.

“Very frustrating. Really frustrating for Tyson. By the time he gets into the ring, he will have been out for nearly 20 months. That’s a long, long time.”

Dillian Whyte has expressed his desire to fight Wilder instead of Fury and the WBC ‘interim’ champion called on the governing body to promote him to full WBC heavyweight champion. “When stuff like this happens and fights fall through and the champion is injured or can’t fight, or for whatever reason can’t defend the title, then the interim champion steps up.

“Make me world champion, I’ll fight Wilder as a world champion, and the winner of that fights Tyson Fury, and the winner of that fights Anthony Joshua for the undisputed.

“That is where everything is solved with one action.”…

Boxing / Sports

Akpejiori adds a ruthless knockout win to his record after calling for a fight with Fury

“My goal is to have the heavyweight belts in my hand. Once I’ve accomplished that, everything else will fall in place,” Nigeria’s Raphael Akpejiori adds another knockout win on his pursuit of a world title.

The unbeaten Nigerian delivered another display of his destructive power, stopping Steven Lyons in the opening round in Miami on Saturday night. Akpejiori has knocked out all 12 of his opponents inside two rounds and has told Sky Sports that he would welcome a fight against Fury or top contender Dillian Whyte. “If I was going to name a dream fight for me in the next year, I would say Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte,” Akpejiori told Sky Sports.

“Those are two guys I know I can step in the ring with and beat both of them.

“But my goal is to have the heavyweight belts in my hand. Once I’ve accomplished that, everything else will fall in place.”

…
Football / Sports

Italy win Euro 2020 title in dramatic penalty shootout

Italy are the champions of Europe. On Saturday in the Euro 2020 final, the Italians defeated England in a penalty shootout to become the undisputed kings of the continent. The win is Italy’s second ever Euro title and first since 1968. It was the first shootout in a Euro final since 1976.

England manager Gareth Southgate brought on both Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho to take penalty kicks, and both missed. Rashford hit the left post and Sancho’s effort was saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma. The goalkeeper saved young talent Bukayo Saka’s attempt, which was England’s fifth, to clinch the title.

A second-half goal from Italy forced extra time as they were level with England 1-1 after 90 minutes. After Luke Shaw’s second-minute opener, it was defender Leonardo Bonucci who got the Italians on the board at Wembley Stadium, cleaning up a loose ball inside the box with 23 minutes to go. As a result, 30 minutes of extra time will be played, with penalty kicks deciding it if no team has the advantage after the half of hour of additional play.

In the first half, England had just one shot, but boy did they capitalize on it. It was Kieran Trippier’s fine ball to an open back post in the second minute, with Shaw putting the ball away with a fine touch that saw it hit the post and get past Donnarumma. From that moment on, Italy saw most of the ball and had six shots during the remainder of the half, but most of them weren’t all that great aside from a Federico Chiesa effort that went wide of the right post. England defended well, were quick to react and closed down in a timely manner to frustrate Ciro Immobile, Lorenzo Insigne and company.

With changes needed for the Italians, Roberto Mancini opted to bring in midfielder Bryan Cristante in the 54th minute, and shortly after, he played a huge part in them drawing even. On a corner kick, he flicked a header to the back post, which saw …

Basket Ball / Sports

Giannis Antetokounmpo goes for 40-10 again, Milwaukee rolls in Game 3

We have ourselves a series. After dropping the first two games in Phoenix, the Milwaukee Bucks pulled out a much-needed 120-110 win over the Suns in Game 3 at Fiserv Forum Sunday night. With the victory, the Bucks now trail 2-1 in the NBA Finals, which is much more manageable than 3-0 — a deficit that’s proven to be historically unsurmountable.

As they have been throughout the postseason, the Bucks were led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had 40-plus points for the second consecutive game. In all, Antetokounmpo finished with 41 points, 13 rebounds and six assists in 38 minutes of action. It was an extremely impressive performance from the two-time MVP, but he also had his fair share of help. Jrue Holiday had 21 points, nine assists and five rebounds, while Khris Middleton added 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists of his own. Chris Paul led the way for Phoenix with 19 points and nine assists, and DeAndre Ayton added 18 points and nine rebounds, but ultimately their production wasn’t enough.

The win was a big one for the Bucks, and the loss was obviously disappointing for a Suns team that controlled the first two games of the series. Still, neither team can afford to dwell on it for too long as they have to prepare for Game 4 on Wednesday night. Here are four key takeaways from Milwaukee’s win over Phoenix in Game 3.

1. Giannis made some NBA history

Not only did Giannis Antetokounmpo propel the Bucks to a Game 3 win, but he also made some serious NBA history in the process. By finishing with 41 points and 13 rebounds, Antetokounmpo became just the second player ever to record 40-plus points and 10-plus rebounds in consecutive NBA Finals games. The only other player to do it was Shaquille O’Neal.

Antetokounmpo did a lot of his damage from the paint in Game 3. In fact, the 24 points that he scored in the paint tied the record for the most in a Finals game over the last …

Sports / Tennis

Roger Federer knocked out by Hubert Hurkacz in quarter-finals

The Swiss lost 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 6-0 to the 14th seeded Pole, who reached his first Grand Slam semi-final.

It is the first time 20-time major champion Federer has lost a set to love at the All England Club.

Hurkacz will play seventh seed Matteo Berrettini for a place in Sunday’s final.

The Italian defeated Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3 5-7 7-5 6-3 to reach his first Wimbledon semi-final.

“It’s super special for me,” said Hurkacz, only the second Polish man to reach the semi-finals at a Grand Slam.

“Playing here and the special things [Federer] has done here, it’s a dream come true.”

Hurkacz, who was six when Federer won his first title at SW19, is the first player to win a set to love against the Swiss since Rafael Nadal in the 2008 French Open final.

Federer, at 39 years and 337 days, had been bidding to become the oldest man to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals in the Open era.

But defeat marked his first straight-set loss at Wimbledon in 19 years and left pundits and fans wondering whether this could turn out to be his final appearance at the grass-court Grand Slam.

Federer himself said he “does not know” if he will play at Wimbledon again.

Off-colour Federer falls short in bid to match record

Federer had two knee surgeries in 2020 and this was only his fifth event in 17 months, but had made no secret of the fact Wimbledon was his target this year as he looks to equal Martina Navratilova’s record of nine singles titles here.

With Novak Djokovic – into the semi-finals after defeating Marton Fucsovics – breathing down his and Rafael Nadal’s necks in the race for the most Grand Slams, this could have been his last chance to pull clear of his old foes on his best surface.

There had been concerns over his form coming into the tournament after a last-16 defeat by Auger-Aliassime at the Halle Open last month left him despondent, and he avoided an upset in the opening …

Football / Sports

England through to the finals after Controversial Penalty

Captain Harry Kane ended England’s 55-year wait for a major men’s final appearance with a dramatic extra-time winner, converting the rebound after Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel had saved his contentiously awarded penalty.

Three years on from the heartache in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup in Moscow, and 25 years on from his infamous missed penalty in the shootout defeat to Germany at Euro 96, it was redemption for Southgate and his players, as more than 60,000 fans generated a frenzied atmosphere seldom seen at the new Wembley.

“I’m so proud of the players,” Southgate said. “It’s an incredible occasion to be a part of, the fans were incredible all night.

“For our country… I’ve not heard the new Wembley like that, ever. To be able to share that with everybody is very special.”

England’s triumph was made all the more impressive by the spirited Denmark side they had to battle so relentlessly to overcome.

Mikkel Damsgaard gave the Danes the dream start with an exquisite opener from a free-kick, as Jordan Pickford was beaten at Euro 2020 for the first time. England replied by forcing Simon Kjaer to turn the ball into his own net, but Denmark, inspired by goalkeeper Schmeichel, repelled attack after attack and forced extra-time, before Kane finally secured that long-awaited final appearance

“It was never going to be straightforward, the game the other night in Rome was, but we told the players that they would have to show resilience and come back from some setbacks, and we did that tonight,” Southgate added.

“I felt we would get over the line but knew we would have different sorts of battles. Denmark are so underrated as a team; they did cause us a lot of problems.

“When you have waited as long as we have to get through a semi-final the players – given the limited amount of international experience some of them have – have done an incredible job.

“The most pleasing thing is that we’ve given our fans and nation a fantastic night, and …

Sports / Tennis

Marcus Rashford and Andy Murray Support Emma Raducanu

Emma Raducanu was forced to withdraw from Wimbledon after struggling with her breathing during the second set of her fourth-round match with Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic; Marcus Rashford leads defence of the teenager after she faced criticism for pulling out of the match.

Raducanu revealed she struggled with her breathing and felt dizzy during her fourth-round Wimbledon clash with Ajla Tomljanovic on Monday before being advised to retire.

Difficulty breathing was given as the official reason for her withdrawal on Monday night but the initial lack of explanation for what caused it led to intense speculation.

John McEnroe was heavily criticized after jumping to the conclusion immediately after the match on the BBC that she could not handle the occasion, and Piers Morgan said on Twitter saying she needed to toughen up.

Andy Murray weighed in, replying to a tweet from Kevin Pietersen about mental toughness being what separated good athletes from great ones, although the former England cricketer later insisted he had not been referring to Raducanu.

Murray wrote: “No question mental toughness can be what separates the best in sport but surely both of you aren’t judging her mental toughness on yesterday’s match?!

“I think some of what he (McEnroe) said was fair yes.. however the timing of it was a bit off considering nobody had any clue what her issue was injury/illness/breathings issues etc at the time of his comments.”

Several other sports stars then got behind the teenager who announced herself as a new star of British tennis by reaching the last 16 on her debut at the All England Club.

Rashford, who has taken on politicians in his bid to improve childrens’ lives for the better, drew

…
MMA / Sports

McGregor has to get his mind off ‘boxing’ to avenge defeat by Dustin Poirier

He has to switch his mind back to MMA. He has to get his mind off boxing,” Claressa Shields believes Conor McGregor must be fully focused on reviving his UFC career in a third fight against Dustin Poirier 

Ireland’s UFC star faces Poirier in a third fight on Saturday in Las Vegas, having suffered a stoppage loss to the American in January. McGregor has hinted at an eventual return to boxing after his massive clash with Floyd Mayweather in 2017, but Shields has outlined the perils of combining a career in MMA and boxing. The three-weight world boxing champion, who is now fully committed to the Professional Fighters League, told Sky Sports: “I think that Conor McGregor is a force to be reckoned with, but it doesn’t matter who you are. “You can be me, you can be Conor, you can be Floyd, you can be whoever.

“He has to switch his mind back to MMA. He has to get his mind off boxing.

“Judging on the last fight, when Dustin Poirier kept kicking that front leg, it’s like he’s got to know. Even me, I know. Jab, get that leg out of there.

“You can’t be in a boxing stance in MMA, you have to make sure you’re ready to check that kick, catch that kick, or get it out of the way.

“You can’t just be taking kicks and taking kicks for five, five-minute rounds, because your leg can only take so many.”

Shields fears that McGregor could endure another major setback in the UFC, if he does not return to the tactics which brought him title success before his entry into boxing.

“If he fixes that, and he throws his striking, he gets back to his wrestling and all of that stuff, I think he can beat Dustin Poirier,” said Shields, who is preparing for her second PFL bout in late August.

“But I feel like Dustin Poirier, right now he has his number, unless Conor McGregor really goes back to the drawing board and just …

Football / Sports

Bonucci hails Italy heart after Azzurri ‘suffer’ through win over Spain

Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci admitted that Tuesday’s clash with Spain was the toughest game he ever played as the Azzurri booked their place in the Euro 2020 final.

Bonucci’s side outlasted Spain in a shootout, earning a place in the finale against either Denmark or England.

After a back-and-forth match that saw Spain equalize in the 80th minute on an Alvaro Morata goal, Bonucci was beaming with pride as he said his team showed exactly what they’re made of to move one step closer to a major trophy.

What was said?

“This is the toughest game I have ever played. I congratulate Spain for what they showed, but once again this Italy showed heart, determination and the ability to push through difficult moments and the lottery of penalties rewarded us,” Bonucci told RAI Sport.

“The victory you suffer for is always the most enjoyable one.”

“Now there’s one more centimeter to go. Just one more centimeter,” he added. “It’s incredible what we are doing, but we mustn’t feel satisfied. We’re in the final. It is in five days, and we need the same hunger and spirit of sacrifice to bring this trophy home after many years.”

‘We suffered to the end and we snatched it’

Gianluigi Donnarrumma also hailed the spirit in Italy’s team after the victory, saying they “snatched” the victory after a difficult game.

Donnarumma made the pivotal shootout stop on Morata, who had scored on him earlier in the game, paving the way for Jorginho to seal the win with a calmly taken penalty.

“It’s indescribable. I was relaxed because I knew I could help the team,” Donnarumma told RAI Sport.

“The team was fantastic, I thank everyone, the people in the stands, we gave our all and now we need one final step to make our dream come true.

“Spain are very strong, but this Italy has a huge heart, we never give up and we saw that because we suffered to the end and we snatched it, but Spain deserve a lot of credit for …

Football / Sports

Emiliano Martinez penalty heroics sets up Argentina – Brazil final

Emiliano Martinez put forth a heroic, legendary performance in goal for Argentina on Tuesday, sending his team to the Copa America final with a 3-2 win on penalty kicks over Colombia. The match ended 1-1 and went straight to the shootout, and from there the trash-talking, hip-thrusting Aston Villa goalkeeper saved three of the five penalties he faced. His team did enough as Lionel Messi, Leandro Paredes and Lautaro Martinez finished their chances from the spot, setting up a dreamy Argentina-Brazil final on Saturday night.

The match started off with Argentina threatening from the opening whistle, taking just seven minutes to get their goal. Gio Lo Celso played a world-class ball into the box to the feet of Messi, who set up Lautaro Martinez for the opener.

Argentina maintained control of the match and felt like the most likely to get the second goal until halftime. That’s when Colombia coach Reinaldo Rueda made three changes that gave his team some more technical ability and speed, and the problems began for the favorites.

Colombia continued to look like a threat against an underwhelming Argentina defense and made them pay dearly in the 61st minute. A quick free kick was played to send Luis Diaz through, and the Porto man did the rest, finishing from a title angle to equalize it.

But Argentina had their chances, missing two golden ones late in the second half. First, Martinez missed on a goal that was defended by just one defender as David Opsina was caught out, but his poorly taken effort was cleared with ease. Then it was Messi who was played into the box, turning and firing off the left post, resulting in the match going to penalties.

The favorites maintained their composure, with their goalkeeper putting together a brilliant display on how to dominate a shootout.

Argentina and Brazil will meet Saturday night at the legendary Maracana in Rio de Janeiro at 8 p.m. ET.…

Basket Ball / Sports

Chris Paul, Phoenix sink Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee in Game 1

The Phoenix Suns are three wins away from a championship after a strong Game 1 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Finals. The two sides were close for most of the first half before Phoenix pushed the lead as high as 20 in the third quarter. A furious Bucks comeback cut it back down to seven in the fourth quarter, but the Suns just would not be denied. They took Milwaukee’s punch and countered with several of their own, ultimately winning Game 1, 118-105.

Chris Paul led the way with yet another stellar postseason outing. He scored 32 points to lead the Suns, but Devin Booker wasn’t far behind with 27 of his own. Throw in Deandre Ayton’s 22-point, 19-rebound Finals debut and 20 combined bench points for Cameron Payne and Cameron Johnson and it was a complete team win for the Suns. Khris Middleton stood up to Phoenix’s star guards with 29 points of his own, but a still-recovering Giannis Antetokounmpo didn’t quite match his typical MVP production. He scored 20 to go along with 17 rebounds in the loss, but played only 35 minutes and couldn’t be as aggressive in the paint as he usually is with 11 field goal attempts in the game.

Game 2 of the NBA Finals will be played on Thursday. A win in that game would take the Suns within two wins of the title, while a Milwaukee win would even up the series and give the Bucks home-court advantage. After the Game 1 we just watched, though, Milwaukee is going to need to make some serious adjustments to make that happen. For now, here are the biggest takeaways from Game 1.

Giannis looked decent, but not 100 percent

Physically, Giannis looked mostly like Giannis in Game 1 of the Finals. He caught a lob on the game’s opening play (though it was called off due to a foul). He overpowered Deandre Ayton in the post. If you squinted, you’d see the outline of the two-time MVP. Even in defeat, he …

Boxing / Sports

Errol Spence Is A ‘Basic Fighter,’ Pacquiao Can Win – Says Robert Garcia

Trainer Robert Garcia says he sees Errol Spence Jr as a “basic” fighter and that he wouldn’t be surprised if Pacquiao beats him when the two meet on August 21st.

Interestingly, Robert says Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOs) is the bigger puncher than Spence (27-0, 21 KOs). Robert isn’t the only one that believes that Pacquiao is the harder puncher.

What makes that hard to believe is the absence of knockouts for Pacquiao in the last twelve years. The last time Pacquiao scored a knockout was in 2009, and that was a questionable 12th round stoppage against Miguel Cotto.

The referee Kenny Bayless halted the fight while Cotto was still fighting back, and a lot of boxing fans felt that it shouldn’t have been stopped.

Robert’s little brother Mikey Garcia found out the hard way what it’s like to be on the receiving end of Spence’s shots when he lost a wide 12 round unanimous decision.

“He’s [Spence] a basic fighter, you know? He does everything correctly,” said Robert Garcia to Fight hype. “He’s not a flashy guy, he doesn’t look like some of those guys where you’re like ‘wow, did you see that?’

Even if Spence is basic, he picks the right spots to land his shots to score stoppages. It’s been a while, though, since Errol knocked anyone out, but it’s possible he’ll get a stoppage against Manny.

What makes Pacquiao’s shots look harder than they are is the speed with which he throws them.

Also, the punch placement and timing that Pacquiao has magnifies the impact. Who can forget the knockout shot Pacquiao hit Ricky Hatton with in the second round of their fight in

“I would probably say the power, probably go with Pacquiao. I probably go with Pacquiao,” said Robert Garcia.

It’s not the power; it’s more the blinding hand speed and the combinations that make Pacquiao so hard to deal with. If Spence can’t track all the incoming shots, he could get taken out by Manny.

If Spence starts throwing power shots …