Chris Eubank Jr wore a rainbow armband as he weighed in for Saturday's fight with Liam Smith, following his rival's use of homophobic taunts during a press conference.

With Eubank Jr and Smith set to meet in a middleweight contest in Manchester, both fighters launched personal attacks at a contentious media gathering on Thursday, with Smith repeatedly questioning his opponent's sexuality.

In return, Eubank Jr taunted Smith about his social class.

Smith admitted he had "crossed the line" after being heavily criticised for asking Eubank: "Nobody in this room has ever seen you with a woman. Do you have something you want to tell us?"

Having responded by wearing a rainbow armband throughout Friday's weigh-in, Eubank Jr posted an image of his face-off with Smith on Twitter, alongside the caption: "We don’t discriminate…

"We don't alienate. We want boxing, and sport as a whole, to be all inclusive."

Eubank Jr, who has recorded 32 wins and two defeats in his professional career, had earlier said the duo's exchange made him more motivated to win the bout by knockout.

"Everybody reacts in different ways to getting ready to fight another man," Eubank Jr said. 

"He's so hell-bent on trying to prove he's not rattled that he just went off the rails and I had to put him in line.

"We both went there, it got personal, that's okay. Boxing is personal, fighting another man is one of the most personal things you can do. So, I get it.

"But I've always wanted to win this fight by knockout. The fact that Liam is being a child up here, it gives me a bit of extra incentive to embarrass him."

Real Madrid and bitter rivals Atletico Madrid will duel for a place in the Copa del Rey semi-finals after being paired in the last eight.

Los Blancos survived a scare on Thursday as they came from 2-0 down at Villarreal to win 3-2 thanks to goals from Vinicius Junior, Eder Militao and Dani Ceballos.

It ensured Carlo Ancelotti's team bounced back from losing to Barcelona in the Supercopa de Espana final four days earlier.

Nevertheless, their route does not get any easier with Thursday's draw pitting them against city rivals Atletico at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Diego Simeone's side beat Levante 2-0 in Valencia on Wednesday, with Alvaro Morata and Marcos Llorente scoring in the second half.

It will be the first time Atletico and Madrid have tussled in the Copa since January 2015, when the former emerged 4-2 aggregate winners over two legs.

The competition remains on track for a Clasico final, though Barca will also have to get past tricky opponents to reach the last four.

Real Sociedad, who have won each of their past eight games in all competitions and are third in LaLiga, will visit Camp Nou.

La Real have a dreadful record away to Barcelona, however, last winning there in LaLiga way back in 1991.

The other two quarter-finals are also all-LaLiga affairs.

Last season's beaten finalists Valencia will meet Athletic Bilbao at the Mestalla Stadium, while Osasuna – conquerors of defending champions Real Betis – play host to a Sevilla side who are battling relegation in the league.

The matches are scheduled across Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday next week.

Copa del Rey quarter-final draw in full:

Barcelona v Real Sociedad

Osasuna v Sevilla

Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid

Valencia v Athletic Bilbao

Sebastian Korda sent two-time finalist Daniil Medvedev packing from the Australian Open but admitted: "I'm definitely the worst athlete in the family."

It was not even a show of modesty from Korda but a reflection of the sporting success his parents and siblings have achieved.

The 22-year-old American has had big wins before, yet his 7-6 (9-7) 6-3 7-6 (7-4) win against 2021 US Open champion Medvedev on Rod Laver Arena might go down as the best of the lot. It was his first win over a top-10 player in a grand slam and means Medvedev will slide out of that elite group at the end of the tournament.

Korda has made an outstanding start to the year, defeating Andy Murray and Jannik Sinner on his way to the Adelaide International 1 final, where he took a set off Novak Djokovic.

Now he is through to the fourth round of a major for a third second time after previous runs at the French Open and Wimbledon.

Reminded about his father Petr's Australian Open men's singles title in 1998, Korda stepped in to say: "Even better, though, my sisters won the Australian Open in women's golf."

LPGA Tour stars Jessica and Nelly Korda took that title in 2012 and 2019, respectively, on the way to being recognised among the biggest stars in their sport.

Mother Regina was also an established tennis player on the WTA circuit in the 1980s and early 1990s.

"I don't know what I'm going to be ranked. My mum's career-high was number 24, my dad was two," Korda said.

"Nelly, my sister was number one, my older sister Jessica was six, so I'm definitely the worst athlete in the family so far."

As it stands, Korda has moved to 28th on the provisional ATP rankings by coming through three rounds.

He won the Australian Open boys' title in 2018 but now has bigger targets, with a fourth-round tussle against Hubert Hurkacz ahead of him.

Korda has Andre Agassi in his corner, albeit distantly. He has described the four-time Australian Open winner as a "mentor", and Las Vegas-based Agassi stayed up until the early hours at home to watch the Medvedev match.

"He texted me. He's going to bed now," Korda said after his late-night win in Melbourne.

"He's one of the most special people in my life. We started talking during COVID in 2020. He's been one of the biggest parts in my rise. Just overall as a tennis player, as a human being. We spend a lot of time together. He's very special to me."

Now 10th seed Hurkacz awaits, and Korda, seeded 29th, knows that will be a tricky assignment.

"We practise quite a bit," Korda said. "Usually whenever we practise, he actually wins the tournament. I always give him jokes about that. I'm looking forward to it. It's exciting, the fourth round of a grand slam. I'll be ready to go."

Can Korda win the Australian Open, just like his dad, and keep up the family tradition of outstanding results in the country?

"It's a special place for us," he said. "We've had some really great results. Hopefully I can do one better than the juniors and do it in the pros."

For the first time in 20 years, four or fewer of the top eight seeds in the men's singles will progress to the fourth round of the Australian Open.

Daniil Medvedev's defeat to Sebastian Korda on Friday meant he joined Casper Ruud, Taylor Fritz and defending champion Rafael Nadal in heading home early from the season's first grand slam.

According to Opta, it is the first time since 2003 that the round of 16 in Melbourne will include four or fewer of the top eight players in the competition.  

Nine-time champion Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, is struggling with injury ahead of his third-round tie with Grigor Dimitrov on Saturday, while world number six and fifth seed Andrey Rublev faces a tough test against Dan Evans.

Stefanos Tsitsipas is sure of his place in round four after the Greek third seed beat Tallon Griekspoor in straight sets. Felix Auger-Aliassime will go up against Jiri Lehecka for a place in the last eight.

Newcastle United striker Chris Wood has joined Nottingham Forest on an initial loan deal, which is set to become permanent at the end of the season.

Wood only signed for Newcastle in January 2022, leaving then-relegation rivals Burnley in a £25million move.

Although Burnley were subsequently relegated, Newcastle stayed up comfortably under Eddie Howe and a year later are well in contention for Champions League qualification.

But having started 15 of his 17 Premier League appearances for the Magpies last term, Wood's 18 outings in this campaign have included only four starts and account for a meagre 437 minutes.

Wood found himself behind the fit-again Callum Wilson and club-record signing Alexander Isak in the pecking order, with the New Zealand international having scored just four times across 35 appearances.

He will instead spend at least the rest of the season at Forest, who have recruited Wood following news of an injury to Taiwo Awoniyi as they bid to secure their Premier League status for next season.

The agreement contains "a conditional obligation to become a permanent deal", Forest confirmed, with reports suggesting the achievable criteria of those conditions will lead to a £15m move.

Wood was no longer a starter at St James' Park, but only Jacob Murphy (36) had made more Premier League appearances for Newcastle since his arrival from Burnley, and Howe wants a replacement for the 31-year-old forward.

Ahead of the transfer on Friday, Howe said: "Hopefully, we're planning to replace him.

"Certainly, from my side, there was no thought of letting a player go and not replacing [them]. I think that would leave us dangerously short of players."

Howe acknowledged the club were now in a "difficult situation" in the transfer market but recognised Wood's departure represented "a very good deal financially".

Arsenal have completed the signing of Leandro Trossard from Brighton and Hove Albion for a reported £27million.

The Belgium international has agreed a long-term deal at Emirates Stadium, which is thought to run through until July 2027.

Arsenal made no secret of their desire to bring in attacking reinforcements this month, with Mykhaylo Mudryk initially seen to be their primary target.

But Chelsea beat them to the signing of the Ukraine international last week despite Mudryk appearing eager to move to north London.

Shakhtar Donetsk confirmed Arsenal matched the reported £89m (€100m) bid of Chelsea in monetary terms, but they felt the variables and bonuses in the Blues' offer were more realistic.

However, some might feel Trossard is a less risky signing and represents better value.

Arsenal are thought to have been keen on Trossard since before he joined Brighton from Genk in 2019, and at the Amex Stadium he has blossomed into a high-level winger who offers both a goalscoring threat and creativity.

Since the start of last season, Trossard is one of just seven players to score at least 14 Premier League goals (excluding penalties) and create more than 65 chances in open play – the others are Harry Kane, Mohamed Salah, Kevin De Bruyne, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Bruno Fernandes.

Arsenal's north London rivals Tottenham had also been credited with an interest, though recent reports suggested a £12m bid by Spurs was "laughed off".

Trossard had been keen to leave Brighton after falling out with head coach Roberto De Zerbi, who criticised the winger's attitude earlier this month after taking him out of the team.

Graham Potter confirmed Mykhaylo Mudryk is likely to make his Chelsea debut in Saturday's Premier League clash with Liverpool.

The Blues splashed a reported £89million (€100m) to secure his services from Shakhtar Donetsk, beating London rivals Arsenal in the hunt for the Ukraine international.

Questions have been asked as to how Potter will fit Mudryk into a top-heavy squad at Stamford Bridge, where he joins the likes of Kai Havertz, Joao Felix, Christian Pulisic, Raheem Sterling and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

While that remains to be seen, Chelsea fans will have their first glimpse of Mudryk in action at Anfield as Potter confirmed he is set for his debut.

"He is a young and exciting player. We have to help him adapt to us and the Premier League. He hasn't played so much football recently but has been training well, so we will have to assess him," Potter said.

"There's a chance [he could make his debut]. There is probably a role for him at some stage in the game.

"We've got to help him and everybody [must] understand that he is coming from a different country and league and has to adapt.

"He is a young player who has a lot of potential and at the same time he has had good experiences already and he is an exciting player.

"He's trained very well and is very happy to be here. He is looking forward to his career here and is excited to get started."

Chelsea's work in the transfer market is seemingly not yet complete, with PSV winger Noni Madueke closing in on a move to west London, while Brighton and Hove Albion reportedly rejected a £55m bid from the Blues for midfielder Moises Caicedo.

Although it may seem there is no end in sight for Chelsea's spending under Todd Boehly, Potter does not anticipate an influx of new additions at the backend of the mid-season transfer window.

"I don't think there'll be too many to be honest. I've no complaints about the squad. January is very complex. You might want A, B and C, but they are not available in terms of positional need," he added.

"You are always looking to strengthen your squad and we have done that. When players come back, we have an exciting squad of players.

"You've got to analyse the squad and analyse where it's at. Sometimes it is adding and sometimes it's moving out players. That is on a case-by-case basis and we'll look at it as and when."

David Moyes is backing Danny Ings to fire West Ham to Premier League safety after signing the England-capped striker from Aston Villa.

The 30-year-old moves to the London Stadium for a reported initial £12million, rising to £15million if the Hammers avoid relegation.

Former Liverpool, Burnley and Southampton player Ings has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract, with manager Moyes optimistic he can bring goals.

Moyes, who is under pressure with his side in the relegation zone, saidl: "I'm really pleased to add Danny to the squad. He is a proven Premier League goalscorer and will add great competition for places in the attacking third.

"We're looking forward to integrating him into the group, as we go into a busy period in our season."

West Ham have scored just 15 goals in 19 Premier League games so far, winning only four times.

In 18 league appearances for Villa this season, just eight of which were as a starter, Ings managed six goals.

Ings, who has three England caps, told the Hammers' official website: "It's important I settle in as quickly as I can do – and do the important stuff on the pitch for West Ham."

West Ham face a massive showdown at home to Moyes' former club Everton, who are a place below them in the table, on Saturday.

Graham Potter is confident Chelsea have turned a corner ahead of Saturday's crucial Premier League clash against Liverpool.

The Blues travel to Anfield to face Jurgen Klopp's side, also recently out of form, with both clubs hovering in mid-table and facing a tall order to secure a top-four finish and Champions League football.

Victory against Crystal Palace last Sunday brought an end to a three-game losing streak across all competitions for Chelsea and represented only their second Premier League win since mid-October.

The club have continued to spend heavily in the transfer market in a bid to improve their position and head coach Potter feels better times are on the horizon, though they need to make an impression on their trip to Merseyside.

"The win has been important for us, but it's just a win. We have to go to Liverpool next and back it up," Potter said.

"I'm confident, but I respect Liverpool and Anfield. It's a tough place to go at any point, a fantastic football club. Jurgen [Klopp] is a top manager and [they are] a top team, but we've come through a tough spell.

"Players are coming back, new players are arriving. There is a buzz at the training ground."

With the Blues having suffered an early exit from the FA Cup, Potter will have a fortnight after the Liverpool game to work with his squad ahead of their next fixture against Fulham, which he feels can make a big difference.

"We have two weeks, it's an important period for us when you consider we have new faces and players coming back from injury," Potter said. "It's an important period. We'll use the time as best as we can."

Jurgen Klopp has advised Graham Potter to shut out the noise of his critics, as the Liverpool manager prepares to face Chelsea in his 1,000th game.

The German will reach four figures in his coaching career when his under-fire side face their fellow struggling heavyweights at Anfield on Saturday.

Klopp has largely weathered criticism of a difficult season with the Reds due to past successes, but Potter is struggling to keep fans onside after succeeding Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge.

In reflecting on his own lengthy career, though, the Liverpool boss offered his opposite number advice about ignoring those not in the know, particularly on social media.

"Twenty-two years ago, when I became a manager, nobody had smartphones," he said. "There was much less [instant] information. I watched games on a video recorder.

"If you wanted to hear what the outside world thought, you had to ask somebody or read a newspaper. It was easy [to avoid].

"I'm interested in criticism, I'm interested in people who really care. But I'm sorry to say, from all of you, I couldn't care less. Why should I be concerned about what you say?

"[With] social media, all these people without any kind of knowledge [are allowed to sound off]. When I was [starting out], people had to write a letter to the newspaper.

"I really think the best advice [I can give] is to ignore the outside world. They have no clue about your situation."

On reaching his 1,000th game, Klopp acknowledged he feels lucky to hit the milestone, paying tribute to Liverpool and former clubs Mainz and Borussia Dortmund.

"I never thought about these kinds of numbers," he added. "I never would have thought I would be allowed to do [this] for that long.

"I've obviously had three fantastic clubs that gave me the opportunity to do the job. When you come in somewhere, you never know how it will go. I was really lucky."

Klopp also confirmed Darwin Nunez would be available for the match with Chelsea after his absence against Brighton and Wolves, simply telling reporters when asked: "Yes."

Brentford head coach Thomas Frank feels Chelsea have paid over the odds for Mykhaylo Mudryk and believes transfer fees being forked out are "insane."

The Blues landed the Ukraine international from Shakhtar Donetsk in a deal that could be worth £89million (€100m) as they continue to splash the cash following a takeover by a consortium-led by Todd Boehly.

Fellow winger Noni Madueke is also expected to arrived at Stamford Bridge from PSV, giving Graham Potter plenty of options to ponder.

Frank has questioned the fee the Bees' London paid for Mudryk and wonders how Potter can keep so many wingers happy.

"I think there is a lot of money around in the football world, especially in the Premier League," he told reporters ahead of the Premier League clash against Leeds United on Sunday.

"Looking from the outside, I think Mudryk is a very good player but 100million, that's a lot for a player who is showing great signs of potential but probably needs to do a bit more.

"Maybe that's just price-tags these days, which I think are insane.

"They've bought him and then there's rumours about the PSV guy as well. I think they have enough wingers but that is their issue."

Aurelien Tchouameni apologised to Real Madrid after he skipped their Copa del Rey clash with Villarreal to attend an NBA game.

The France international, who is sidelined with a calf injury, was in the crowd for the Chicago Bulls' 126-108 win over the Detroit Pistons in Paris on Thursday.

His presence at the Accor Arena, while Madrid fought back from a two-goal deficit to win 3-2 at El Madrigal, came under scrutiny from supporters.

Tchouameni subsequently issued an apology, acknowledging he made a mistake by not staying in Spain to cheer on his team-mates.

"I apologise to my club, the coaching staff, my team-mates and the Madrid fans for my presence at an event at a time when we were [...] in the cup," he wrote on social media.

"I have been attentive at all times to what was happening in Villarreal, but I have not done the right thing. [I am] very sorry."

Tchouameni has not played since a LaLiga defeat to the Yellow Submarine on January 7, when he was replaced just after the hour in a 2-1 loss.

Second-half goals from Vinicius Junior, Eder Militao and Dani Ceballos helped Carlo Ancelotti's side bounce back to winning ways on Thursday, four days after they lost the Supercopa de Espana final to Barcelona.

Los Blancos will face rivals Atletico Madrid in their Copa quarter-final after the pair were drawn against each other on Friday.

Carlos Alcaraz is on course to return to tennis action next month after the world number one stepped up his recovery from injury by practising on clay.

The 19-year-old Spaniard was ruled out of the Australian Open after suffering a hamstring injury in pre-season.

That was another blow for Alcaraz, who cut short an outstanding 2022 season due to an internal oblique muscle tear he sustained during a Paris Masters quarter-final against Holger Rune in November.

Alcaraz won five titles last year – including a maiden grand slam triumph at the US Open – and surged to the top of the ATP rankings.

The teenager delivered an encouraging update on his fitness on Friday, posting pictures of himself in action on a clay court and writing: "Back on court and back on clay. VAMOS!"

Alcaraz is set to make his comeback at the Argentina Open, which start in Buenos Aires on February 13.

He won Masters titles in Madrid and Miami last year, along with triumphs in Barcelona, Rio de Janeiro and at Flushing Meadows.