Noel Meade’s Cheltenham Festival runner-up Affordale Fury made a successful switch to fences at Galway on Sunday.
A silver medallist at a huge 150-1 in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle back in March, he was also runner-up to Gaelic Warrior in the Grade One Irish Mirror Novice Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival and was an exciting chasing debutant in the Colm Quinn BMW Irish EBF Beginners Chase.
Sent off the 4-6 favourite, Affordale Fury’s jockey Sam Ewing positioned his mount hot on the heels of chief market rival and Grade Two-winning hurdler Favori De Champdou throughout and having matched strides at the final obstacle, the five-year-old’s abundant stamina took over in the run for home.
Although Favori De Champdou refused to lie down, Affordale Fury stayed on all the way to the finish to register a one-and-a-half-length success following a satisfactory round of jumping.
Meade said: “It is a bit of a relief as in beginners’ chases you never know what will happen. He was very good, though, and those ex-point-to-pointers are well schooled. We brought him to the Curragh a few weeks ago and he was really, really good.
“He would like a little nicer ground than that and got tired in the end, but he didn’t get as tired as the others.”
Affordale Fury is now set for a rise in class.
Meade added: “Where I’d love to be is in Leopardstown over Christmas for the Grade One novice over three miles. We’ll enter him for the Drinmore in between, but might instead run in the Grade Two Florida Pearl (at Punchestown) instead.”
Ryan Potter registered the biggest victory of his training career as Jetoile ran out a shock 25-1 winner of the Jewson Fast Set Finish Old Roan Limited Handicap Chase at Aintree.
Second to Constitution Hill in the Tolworth Hurdle as a novice, the son of Jeremy had disappointed over fences in the main last season before turning his campaign around with a pair of handicap victories at Chepstow in the spring.
That saw him arrive on Merseyside off a mark of 146 for his stiffest test to date over fences and he proved more than up to the task in the hands of Daryl Jacob.
In a race that saw all of the fences in the home straight bypassed, Jetoile made stylish progress to stalk long-time front runner Minella Drama after the final jumping test and having edged his way to the front with the winning post approaching, was driven out for a one-and-three-quarter-length victory over Donald McCain’s brave runner-up.
Al Dancer kept on gamely for third, but both the Paul Nicholls-trained 7-2 favourite Hitman and Dan Skelton’s My Drogo failed to make their presence felt, with the former checking out tamely and finishing last of the 11 runners.
Love Envoi will not be seen until the new year, when her season will be centred around going one better than last year’s brave second at the Cheltenham Festival.
A winner of the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at the Festival in 2022, a pair of taking victories at Sandown saw Harry Fry’s stable star head back to Prestbury Park full of confidence for a crack at the Mares’ Hurdle last March.
Sent off 11-1 in the hands of Johnny Burke, she came within a length and a half of back-to-back Cheltenham Festival triumphs as she eventually had to settle for a supporting role as Honeysuckle bowed out in fairytale fashion.
Despite injuring herself in her next outing at Punchestown, Love Envoi is back in training with Fry at his Dorset base and although the handler is keen to take his time, another crack at the Mares’ Hurdle is firmly in his sights.
Fry said: “She went so close to the Mares’ Hurdle, running Honeysuckle all the way, and obviously the whole campaign is going to be geared around going one better in March.
“She picked up a nasty injury when disappointing at Punchestown when last seen, which is her only bad run of her career and obviously there was a reason for it.
“She has made a full recovery out with Noel Fehily over the summer and he has pre-trained her and she’s just come back to us at the beginning of the month.
“She’s not going to be seen out until the new year I would have thought and it is still early stages with her, but we hope to have a clear run to March all being well.”
Love Envoi has been tentatively pencilled in to return in the same Sandown Listed event in which she recorded a 13-length success early in the year, while a similar contest at Warwick has been identified as another key stepping stone on the route to Prestbury Park.
“The races pick themselves for her and you have got the Sandown race she won last season in early January and then the Listed race at Warwick in February,” continued Fry.
“She was a non-runner in that last year because of the ground, but the programme is there for her and they are ideal prep races for the Mares’ Hurdle itself.”
American sprint star Caravel is fully primed ahead of the defence of her Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint title at Santa Anita next weekend.
Brad Cox’s daughter of Mizzen Mast was a somewhat shock winner of the five-furlong event at Keeneland 12 months ago, pinging the gates and never looking back in the hands of Tyler Gaffalione, as she came home half a length clear of Kevin Ryan’s Emaraaty Ana.
However, she has since proved that victory was no fluke and asserted herself as one of America’s top turf sprinters when bringing up a fabulous five-timer in the Jaipur Stakes at Belmont in the summer.
A subsequent defeat on soft ground at Saratoga has done little to dent the Caravel team’s confidence and their charge was only denied by a neck in her Breeders’ Cup tune-up in the Franklin Stakes.
“She seems to be in great nick and the news from America is we are all systems go,” said David Redvers, racing manager for Qatar Racing – who own the mare in conjunction with Marc Detampel and Madaket Stables LLC.
“You never know for sure whether she is going to be at the same level as last year, but we are all certainly hoping so. It’s thrilling to have a horse at that level who is going to defend her crown.
“We made the mistake of running her at Saratoga in that horrible heavy turf, so you just have to put a line through that. Otherwise she has been in great nick.”
Last year Caravel held off the cream of British sprinting with raiders filling the second, third and fourth spots and there are some more familiar names lying in wait for the US-trained speedster this time.
Royal Ascot scorer Bradsell and Adam West’s shock Nunthorpe winner Live In The Dream are at the front of the queue of challengers this time around, but connections feel Caravel has nothing to fear if able to replicate her form from last year’s Breeders’ Cup and in the early part of 2023.
“If she can run to the level of form she ran to last year, you would be very hopeful that it wouldn’t matter what she comes across,” added Redvers.
“The big question is, we don’t know if she has the same level of pace as she did last year. But she is one of Sheikh Fahad’s favourites and she’s certainly giving us all something to look forward to.”
Zach LaVine knows the Chicago Bulls must swiftly discover a winning formula after Saturday's loss to the Detroit Pistons.
LaVine had a career-high 51 points but it was not enough for the Bulls to avoid a second defeat of the campaign.
Chicago lost 118-102 in Detroit, as they failed to build on their 104-103 defeat of the Toronto Raptors.
The Bulls have made the playoffs just once since the start of the 2017-18 season, and LaVine knows Chicago must expect better.
"It's our third year here together, and we know how this business is," said LaVine, who became the first Bulls player with 50 points and no assists since the legendary Michael Jordan against the Miami Heat in November 1996.
"We all love each other. DeMar [DeRozan] is one of my best friends, and we talk all the time, but we have to figure out how to make this work.
"I wasn't happy with the way I was performing and the way the offense was looking. It's upsetting you have a performance like that and lose. It sucks.
"We don't want this to snowball where we have our backs against the wall. We are working every day. We have to figure it out."
LaVine was a late pick for Saturday's game, having overcome back issues to play.
"You know me, I'm going to play," he added.
Tyson Fury is doubtful to face Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed world heavyweight title on December 23 after being left bloodied and bruised in a contentious points win over Francis Ngannou.
What seemed a total mismatch on paper between the unbeaten WBC champion and a mixed martial artist making his professional boxing debut in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, almost went awry for Fury.
Fury was expected to toy with the former UFC heavyweight champion but instead endured a torrid night, receiving a small cut on his forehead before being knocked down in the third round.
Fury rose almost straight away but was clearly unnerved by an awkward opponent whose style he could not quite get to grips with, relying on his jab and the odd combination to get by over the 10 rounds.
Ngannou produced the flashier blows, leading to an outcry on social media when Fury was awarded a split decision win, given the nod 96-93 and 95-94 on two scorecards as a third judge sided against him 95-94.
The fight was rumoured to be the preamble to the announcement of Fury taking on Usyk just before Christmas and the WBA, IBF and WBO champion was ringside as he engaged in a staredown with the Briton.
While Fury, who was also left with a swollen left eye, was animated, there was an overall flat feeling after he had his hand raised and his promoter Frank Warren issued a more sobering appraisal.
“Tyson’s got a cut there so it’s no good setting a date whilst he’s got that cut on the top of his head – we’ve got to see how that heals,” Warren said in the ring afterwards.
“He’s going to rest up, that’s what’s going to happen next then he’ll make his decision (about) what he wants to do because he’s the boss. But this fight is on. It’s just a matter of now setting a date.”
There was no celebratory press conference following the fight after Fury (now 34-0-1, 24KOs) admitted he had been given one of the toughest tests of his career by the former UFC heavyweight champion.
However, he told Usyk in the ring: “I’m a fighter, he’s a fighter, I’m sure we’d go now. We’re prizefighters, let’s go now if you want. These guys (promoters) will sort it all out and it’ll be on.”
Usyk, a London 2012 gold medallist and former undisputed world cruiserweight champion who has won all 21 of his professional contests, said: “We’re back in this ring on 23 December, I’m ready to fight.”
Fury had likened Ngannou’s chances in the non-title bout to that of a table tennis champion facing Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final – and his words came back to bite him post-fight.
Ngannou, 37, who had not fought in any capacity since January 2022 and had reconstructive knee surgery in that time, said pointedly on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Table Tennis champion of the world.”
The Cameroonian-Frenchman also took aim at the scorecards, adding: “This boxing world wild but some judges should be responsible for their actions. This type of stuff is what f**** up people’s career.”
Ngannou also shared the thoughts of American basketball great LeBron James, who wrote: “Exactly why i don’t watch boxing! C’mon man!”. Former England striker Gary Lineker added: “We’ve just seen a robbery.”
Andy Murray, former world number one tennis player, believes boxing has suffered a setback following Fury’s hugely unconvincing showing in this crossover event.
He wrote: “How many points would the world no1 squash player win vs the world number 1 tennis player in a tennis match and vice versa? Im thinking close to zero for both….bad look for boxing.”
Lennox Lewis, the last heavyweight to be undisputed champion before the four-belt era, was among the boxing royalty ringside and was similarly unimpressed by Fury.
He said: “The lion can’t let the shark come into the jungle and nearly beat him. Ngannou’s stock is up. Fury’s stock is down in a luckluster win for Fury.”
South Africa’s victory over New Zealand in the World Cup final was forged in their national psyche, according to some of the stars of their successful title defence.
Hosts France, England and the All Blacks each fell by a single point to a Springboks side who do not know when they are beaten, establishing them as rugby’s ultimate knockout specialists.
New Zealand overcame the red card shown to their captain Sam Cane for a dangerous tackle to take an enthralling final to the wire and even had opportunities to snatch South Africa’s crown.
But the repeat champions – now the most successful nation in men’s World Cup history with four titles – defended magnificently to ensure they they will return home on Tuesday as heroes.
Prop Ox Nche, the destroyer of England’s scrum in the semi-final, said: “It shows our resilience. In South Africa that’s what we are made of.
“When you think we are down that’s when we come out and shock you and show you that we can achieve anything.
“I don’t know how to describe this feeling – it is a feeling that is out of this world. If we stay united we can achieve anything. That’s what it means to me.”
Victory was made possible by four first-half Handre Pollard penalties that saw the fly-half – who was only an injury call up to the squad in mid-September – finish the World Cup with a 100 per cent kicking record.
“This team has a never-say-die attitude. The second half was more containment and limiting the damage. Even though they scored, we limited them to five points,” Pollard said.
It can now be argued that a South Africa team that has amassed back-to-back world titles and defeated the Lions in 2021 is the greatest of all time and there is no question they lifted the Webb Ellis Trophy the hard way.
Full-back Damian Willemse is delighted to have triumphed on behalf of a nation that is besieged by problems.
“We do it for the people of South Africa. We do it for each other. We do it for our families. People don’t really have the money but they have made their way here to support us,” Willemse said.
“I’m really proud of everyone for putting their bodies on the line and sacrificing themselves.
“That is what we have to do to win a World Cup. It is really special to be part of it. I am just really proud to be South African.
“We knew it was going to take a massive effort to beat the All Blacks. They are a great team who have been in great form these past few weeks.
“The red card did change the game from a technical point of view, but we knew the All Blacks weren’t going to die.”
Dan Evans has withdrawn from next month’s Davis Cup quarter-final against Serbia in Malaga owing to the right calf injury he suffered in the Vienna Open earlier this week.
Evans was named alongside Cameron Norrie, Andy Murray, Jack Draper and Neal Skupski for Great Britain as the final eight nations compete for the 2023 Davis Cup from November 21-26.
However, the British number two has had to pull out after pulling up in the Austrian capital on Tuesday when leading 4-1 in the first set of his opening round encounter against seventh seed Frances Tiafoe.
The 33-year-old, who has been integral to Britain’s run to the last eight after winning important singles and doubles matches, received treatment but was unable to continue.
He said in a statement on his Instagram story: “Unfortunately, as a result of the injury sustained in Vienna, I will not be fit to compete at the Davis Cup finals in a couple of weeks.
“I am extremely disappointed but wish the rest of the GB team all the very best in Malaga.
“I will be working hard with my support team to get back to full fitness as soon as possible.”
Eddie Jones has resigned as Australia head coach, according to reports in the country.
The 63-year-old former England boss was in charge of a disastrous World Cup campaign, which saw Australia fail to reach the knockout stages for the first time in their history.
During the tournament in France it was reported that Jones had held talks to take over Japan for a second time, despite being less than than one year into a five-year contract which was set to expire after the 2027 World Cup.
Following the reports, Jones told the Sydney Morning Herald on Sunday: “(I) gave it a run. Hopefully be the catalyst for change.
“Sometimes you have to eat s**t for others to eat caviar further down the track.”
There was no confirmation from Rugby Australia on Sunday morning.
Ice hockey player Adam Johnson has died after a “freak accident” during Nottingham Panthers’ Challenge Cup match with Sheffield Steelers on Saturday night.
The 29-year-old American reportedly suffered a slashed neck during the second period of the game at Sheffield’s Utilita Arena.
Nottingham Panthers said on Sunday morning: “The Nottingham Panthers are truly devastated to announce that Adam Johnson has tragically passed away following a freak accident at the game in Sheffield last night.
“The Panthers would like to send our thoughts and condolences to Adam’s family, his partner, and all his friends at this extremely difficult time.
“Everyone at the club including players, staff, management and ownership are heartbroken at the news of Adam’s passing.
“Our thoughts are also with the fans and staff of both clubs, especially those who attended or were following the game, who will be devastated following today’s news.
“The Panthers would like to thank everyone who rushed to support Adam last night in the most testing of circumstances.
“Adam, our number 47, was not only an outstanding ice hockey player, but also a great teammate and an incredible person with his whole life ahead of him. The club will dearly miss him and will never ever forget him.
“We ask that the privacy of Adam’s family and friends, and everyone at the club is respected at this difficult time as we all seek to come to terms with our grief.”
Minnesota-born Johnson played for Pittsburg Penguins in the National Hockey League before spending the 2020-21 season in Sweden with the Malmo Redhawks.
Johnson went on to play in Canada for the Ontario Reign and in Germany for the Augsburger Panther before agreeing to join Nottingham for the 2023-24 campaign.
Sunday’s three Elite League games in Belfast, Fife and Guildford have been postponed following Johnson’s death.
“The Elite Ice Hockey League is heartbroken to confirm that Nottingham Panthers forward Adam Johnson sadly passed away following a freak accident in Saturday’s game between Sheffield Steelers and Nottingham Panthers,” read a league statement.
“In light of this deeply upsetting news, the Elite League has postponed all games scheduled to take place on Sunday October 29, 2023.
“The thoughts and condolences of everyone connected with the EIHL are with Adam’s family, friends and teammates at this incredibly sad and difficult time.”
Sheffield said in their own statement: “Everyone at the Steelers send their condolences to Adam Johnson’s partner, family & teammates.”
Zach LaVine poured in a career-high 51 points, but it wasn’t enough as the hot-shooting Detroit Pistons came away with a 118-102 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night.
LaVine, who was a game-time decision with back spasms, surpassed his previous career high of 50 points, set against Atlanta on April 9, 2021, also a loss.
He shot 19 of 32 from the field – 7 of 13 on 3-pointers – and was 6 of 8 from the free-throw line.
LaVine became the first Bulls player with at least 50 points and no assists since Michael Jordan did it against Miami on Nov. 6, 1996.
Jalen Duran had 23 points and 15 rebounds and Cade Cunningham added 25 and 10 assists as the Pistons ended a 15-game losing streak to the Bulls.
Detroit shot 60.5 percent from the floor in the first half and finished at 52.3 percent (45 of 86).
DeMar DeRozan scored 20 points and Nikola Vucevic had 12 as the only other Bull to reach double figures.
76ers coach Nurse gets 1st win
Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey each scored 34 points, and the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Toronto Raptors 114-107 to give coach Nick Nurse his first win against his former team.
Nurse was fired by the Raptors in April after five season that including the 2019 NBA championship. He lost his 76ers coaching debut at Milwaukee on Wednesday.
Kelly Oubre Jr. added 18 points and Tobias Harris had 15 for Philadelphia, which again played without star guard James Harden, who hopes to be traded.
Scottie Barnes led the Raptors with 24 points and Gary Trent Jr. had 17.
Nesmith leads Pacers past short-handed Cavaliers
Aaron Nesmith scored 17 of his career-high 26 points in the first half and the Indiana Pacers took advantage of the undermanned Cleveland Cavaliers in a 125-113 victory.
Tyrese Haliburton had 21 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds, while Myles Turner added 20 and 12 boards for Indiana, which outscored Cleveland 29-12 in the second quarter.
The Cavaliers were without starters Donovan Mitchell (right hamstring soreness), Darius Garland (left hamstring strain) and Jarrett Allen (left ankle bone bruise).
Evan Mobley had 33 points and 14 rebounds for Cleveland.
The Arizona Diamondbacks bounced back from losing game one in extra innings to tie the World Series with a 9-1 rout of the Texas Rangers.
Pitcher Merrill Kelly proved dominant as he allowed just three hits over seven innings and the Arizona bats completed the job.
Gabriel Moreno put the Diamondbacks – who were two runs up in the ninth inning before losing in extra innings the previous night – ahead with a home run in the fourth and they never relented.
A three-run eighth inning included a two-run single for Ketel Marte, who set a new record of 18 consecutive post-season games with a hit.
Tommy Pham had four hits, rookie Corbin Carroll driving in a pair of runs as Arizona won their first World Series match away from home – their only previous appearance coming in 2001.
Evan Longoria, playing in his first World Series since 2008 at the age of 38, also drove in a run.
Rookie Brandon Pfaadt will pitch for the Diamondbacks when the series resumes with game three in Arizona on Monday night, facing three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer who will be pitching for his third different team in the World Series.
Merrill Kelly shut down the Texas Rangers for seven innings and Ketel Marte extended his postseason hitting streak to a record 18 games as the Arizona Diamondbacks rolled to a 9-1 win on Saturday night, evening the World Series at one game apiece.
Gabriel Moreno opened the scoring in the fourth inning with a solo home run off Jordan Montgomery and Tommy Pham went 4 for 4 with a pair of doubles as Arizona rebounded from Friday’s 6-5, 10-inning loss.
The Diamondbacks went 6 for 14 with runners in scoring position and broke open the game with three runs in the eighth and two more in the ninth.
Marte had a two-run single in the eighth to break a tie for the longest playoff hitting streak with Derek Jeter, Manny Ramirez and Hank Bauer.
Kelly pitched three-hit ball with nine strikeouts and no walks and allowed his only run on Mitch Garver’s leadoff homer in the fifth.
Montgomery suffered his first postseason loss after allowing four runs and nine hits in six innings.
The series shifts to Arizona for Game 3 on Monday in the first World Series game in Phoenix since 2001.
Charles Leclerc saw off team-mate Carlos Sainz by just 0.067 seconds as Ferrari locked out the front row for Sunday’s Mexican Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen improved on his final run at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez but could not usurp the Ferrari drivers, finishing 0.097 sec adrift.
The triple world champion faced a nervous wait to see if he was moved down the grid after being summoned to see the stewards.
Verstappen, charged with impeding on the pit exit, was among four drivers hauled in front of the race officials.
Lewis Hamilton, disqualified from finishing runner-up to Verstappen at the United States Grand Prix a week ago, was also summoned after failing to slow under yellow flags. Hamilton finished only sixth, 0.288 sec back.
George Russell, who qualified eighth, and Fernando Alonso, 13th on the grid, were called to see the stewards, too, for blocking on the pit exit in Q1.
However, it was announced three hours after the conclusion of qualifying that the quartet escaped without penalties.
Verstappen’s bid for pole unravelled when he hit the kerb at Turn 8 in his first attempt in Q3 to leave him trailing Leclerc by 0.120 sec.
The Red Bull man, who has won 15 of the 18 rounds so far, produced a quicker last lap, but could not prevent Leclerc from sealing his second pole in as many weekends.
“I didn’t expect to be on pole because we looked to be lacking quite a bit of pace after practice,” said Leclerc.
“But for some reason once we put everything together it went well and on the new tyres we gained a lot.
“I’m already focusing on tomorrow’s race because we have had many pole positions this season, but we need to convert it into victory and that is going to be very difficult.”
Nearly 400,000 spectators will pass through the gates at the high-altitude Mexico City venue this weekend with the majority here to support Sergio Perez.
But the home favourite failed to deliver, finishing nearly three tenths adrift of Verstappen and qualified fifth, one position behind Daniel Ricciardo who impressed in his AlphaTauri, to take fourth.
Earlier, Lando Norris was the surprise name eliminated from the opening phase of qualifying, leaving the in-form British driver in 19th place.
Norris, who has finished on the podium at the past four races, attempted to progress from Q1 on the slower medium rubber in order to save a set of speedier softs.
But the plan backfired when Norris’ lap wasn’t quick enough. Norris bolted on the soft tyres but then made a mistake at Turn 10.
He aborted the lap and prepared for one last attempt, only to run into yellow flags at the opening bend after Alonso spun in his Aston Martin. Norris’ qualifying was over leaving him a tall order to salvage anything from the race.
American rookie Logan Sargeant, who earned his first point in F1 last weekend in Austin, will prop up the grid after he saw two laps scrubbed off by the stewards for exceeding track limits.
Tyson Fury had to get up off the canvas before grinding his way to a highly unconvincing split decision win over Francis Ngannou in their heavyweight showdown in Saudi Arabia.
What appeared a mismatch between the WBC champion and a mixed martial artist boxing professionally for the first time did not go according to plan for Fury, who was decked by a left hook in the third round.
Despite rising to his feet almost immediately, Fury was on unsteady legs in the moments afterwards before getting behind his jab, keen to stay out of range of the former UFC heavyweight champion.
Fury ate a few more big shots and ended the fight with a cut above his forehead and a welt under his left eye – which could have an impact on a proposed showdown against Oleksandr Usyk on December 23.
But the Briton, whose world title was not on the line, was spared what would have been one of the biggest upsets of all-time after being given the nod 96-93 and 95-94 on two scorecards, as the third judge sided with Ngannou 95-94 following an unexpectedly keenly contested 10-round encounter.
“That definitely wasn’t in the script,” Fury said in the ring immediately after improving his record to 34 wins and one draw.
“Francis is a hell of a fighter; strong, a big puncher and a lot better boxer than we all thought he would ever be. He’s a very awkward man and a I respect him a lot – before the fight and afterwards.
“He’s given me one of my toughest fights in the last 10 years. I don’t know how close it was but I got the win and that’s what it is. No excuses, Francis caught me with some good punches, fair play to him.”
The fight was billed as the start to ‘Riyadh Season’, with Saudi Arabia heavily criticised for trying to ‘sportswash’ its reputation and distract from its long history history of human rights abuses.
After fans shuffled to the main arena from a nearby venue which held the undercard, there was an opening ceremony featuring performances from musicians, accompanied by dancers, and culminated in a boxing ring rising from the floor on to the stage.
It was an elaborate spectacle in front of a star-studded crowd which included rappers Kanye West and Eminem as well as footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, plus a host of boxing and MMA royalty such as Sugar Ray Leonard, Mike Tyson, Manny Pacquiao, Roberto Duran, Lennox Lewis, Ricky Hatton and Conor McGregor.
Both fighters wore crowns and sat on thrones before making way their way to the ring, Ngannou for the first time aged 37. After the anthems and introductions, there was an expectation the Cameroonian-Frenchman would bull rush his foe but it was Fury who threw a wild overhand right at the outset.
He landed a good jab to the body and head and even appeared to be giving instructions to Ngannou when they were in the clinch, calling to ‘break’. The smaller and slightly lighter Ngannou seemed plodding in comparison as Fury ended the round with a solid combination which rocked his rival’s head back.
However, Ngannou started to settle in the second round and connected with a lead left look before an accidental head clash. It was unclear which caused the cut to Fury’s head but it unsettled the world champion who repeatedly touched the small wound.
If that was a minor issue, Fury had to confront a major setback in the third round after a clubbing counter left hook to the side of his temple – above his right ear – put him on his back.
Ngannou taunted his adversary, briefly dancing over him, but while it was a flash knockdown, it instantly swung the momentum of the fight. From that point Fury was reluctant to engage too much, wary of the power of a man who holds the world record for the hardest punch ever recorded.
Fury was off-balance again in the fourth before rediscovering some rhythm with a jab and right hand in the fifth although he stayed at range, refusing to allow Ngannou any chance of a response.
The pattern of Fury staying on the outside and flicking out the jab continued into the sixth and while Ngannou seemed to be tiring, he was able to routinely outmuscle the favourite in the rare clinches.
There was a lack of urgency down the stretch from Fury and he soaked up another heavy left from Ngannou in the eighth before perhaps doing just enough to nick the final two rounds and with it: the fight.
This was not the tune-up Fury would have envisaged for an undisputed world title showdown against Usyk, the WBA, IBF and WBO champion who was ringside to witness his rival’s underwhelming display.
“It will be our next fight guaranteed,” Fury added. “I’m going to go home, take a long, hard rest and we’ll see what’s next.”
As expected, Mahogany produced a telling performance to win a $1.4-million three-year-old and upward Open Allowance contest with consummate ease, as he signalled some semblance of readiness for the lucrative Mouttet Mile.
In fact, the run by the Ian Parsard trainee at five furlongs (1,000m) round at Caymanas Park on Saturday, was almost like an exercise given the manner in which he was tenderly handled by jockey Robert Halledeen, and even then, the 6-1/2 lengths victory was completed in a brisk 59.3 seconds. His splits were 23.3 and 46.2 seconds.
Much was said of a potential stretch duel between Mahogany and American-bred Is That A Fact, who was hunting a fifth-consecutive win. But Mahogany, coming off a Gold Cup loss to She’s My Destiny, had no equals on this occasion.
Though a shade slowly out the box, the Sensational Slam -Mete-Orite progeny, coupled up quickly and was sent straight to the front by Halledeen and from there, it was the six-year-old chestnut gelding against the clock.
Jordan Reign's (Dane Dawkins), Is That A Fact (Reyan Lewis), and Freedom Street (Roger Hewitt), were all left in Mahogany’s wake, especially when he turned for home and was briefly asked for a response by Halledeen.
Freedom Street and Jordan Reign's were second and third, while Is That A Fact, who initially placed second, was disqualified and placed fourth for causing interference to rivals in the battle for the minor placing.
Meanwhile, Digital One made in two-in-two when she won the $2-million Hover Craft Sprint feature contest.
Piloted by leading rider Reyan Lewis, the Jason DaCosta-trained charge topped the Restricted Stakes contest for native-bred and imported two-year-olds, by 6-1/4 lengths and covered six furlongs (1,200m) in 1:13.3.
Parsard’s Run Julie Run (Omar Walker) and Blu Sensation (Oneil Mullings) and Rosetta (Youville Pinnock), completed the frame.
Lewis earlier guided Leroy Tomlinson’s Victoriasmedallion to victory in the second race, while trainer Gary Griffiths, topped his peers with two winners in Turnonthelight (Tevin Foster) in the first and Here Comes Doc (Anthony Allen) in the sixth event.
Racing continues on Sunday.
With her parents starting a rich and fruitful partnership with Sandals Resorts, Wendy McClung, Executive vice-president of Baxter Media said the decision was easy for her to continue the family legacy to promote Jamaica as a golfing destination through the Canadian Travel Advisors Golf Tournament.
The 27th edition of this tournament, which is the longest running of the three, preceding the United States and Latin American events, attracted 16 teams made up of some 61 travel advisors, who beyond basking in the fun, frolic and excitement, will ensure that Jamaica’s sports tourism stocks in North America continues to rise.
Team three comprising Christopher Gregoris, Leo Tam, Tom Liu, and Wendy Hsu, finished tops at the end of the two-day competition at the Sandals Golf and Country Club in St Ann. They tallied scores of 65 and 62 across the two days for an 18-hole total of 127.
The team of Gord Ramkissoon, Lalita Ramkissoon, Leonard Sanicharan and Lalita Sanicharan, were six strokes behind in second on 133, after daily scores of 66 and 67, while Team Five comprising David Harris, Doug Rollheiser, Jacques Gilbert and Jason Jenkins took third with 134, after daily scores of 65 and 69.
McClung, who believes the prospects for the tournament is far-reaching where impacting visitor arrivals to Jamaica is concerned, is hoping to build on what her parents Edith and William Baxter accomplished.
Baxter’s Media is the publisher of two of Canada's leading travel trade magazine, the Canadian Travel Press and Travel Courier.
“This was actually started by my parents and my parents always had a good relationship with Jamaica, in fact, my mother was conferred with the Order of Distinction. So, Sandals has been a partner of ours for a very long time and every year we bring travel agents and people who serve Jamaica just to have a nice kind of thank you gathering. It is four days of golf, fun and entertainment and so it’s a great way to celebrate the partnership,” she said.
“Every year it gets better and better. In fact, we had to turn people away because it’s a popular thing and it’s the highlight of the year for many people. As you know, Jamaica has the perfect weather, Sandals is a perfect resort with a perfect golf club, my only complaint is that we are not here long enough,” McClung added.
Meanwhile, the side competitions which raised US$1,528 (about $235,869 Jamaican dollars) for the Sandals Foundation, were won by Curtis Dewar and Norah Hogan, in the closest to the pin, while Colin Harris and Tobe Leney, were the male and female longest drive winners.
New Zealand captain Sam Cane admitted he was feeling “so much hurt” after he was sent off in Saturday’s 12-11 World Cup final defeat by South Africa.
Cane’s yellow card for a dangerous tackle on Jesse Kriel in the 28th minute of a dramatic clash at the Stade de France was upgraded to red by the bunker review system.
It was the first time a player had been dismissed in a men’s World Cup final and although the All Blacks showed heart to overcome the setback and score through Beauden Barrett, they could not pierce South Africa’s defence again.
“So much hurt right now. It’s actually hard to find the words to explain it,” Cane said.
“It’s hard because you are feeling so much hurt, but at the same time you are so proud of the group in how they fought back.
“We really gave ourselves a good shot of winning that game. I think it speaks volumes of the group as a whole.”
A despondent Cane refused to blame the officials led by referee Wayne Barnes or the bunker review system for a decision that left New Zealand swimming against the tide.
“At the time, I wasn’t even aware (of the head contact). It sort of caught me off guard because of the fact he stepped back,” Cane said.
“But we’ve been at this tournament for two months now and anything around the head has ramifications.
“I’m not here to discuss whether it was right or wrong. It can’t be changed. It’s something unfortunately I am going to have to live with forever.”
New Zealand head coach Ian Foster stood by his skipper and insisted the high tackle was not a red card offence, adding that Siya Kolisi’s challenge on Ardie Savea in the second half that was a yellow only was equally severe.
“We’ve all seen the way Sam has contributed to the game, to our team behind the scenes, and it’s fantastic,” Foster said.
“He’s worthy of being captain of the All Blacks, which is an honour and a privilege, and he has carried that magnificently. I’m incredibly proud of him and proud to coach him.
“There was an intent to wrap and there didn’t seem to be a whole lot of force in the contact.
“The hit on Ardie had a lot of force going into that contact and had a direct contact on the head. The game has got a few issues it has got to sort out. That’s not sour grapes.
“You’ve got two different situations with different variables and one is a red card, one is a yellow card. That’s the game.
“We got the same behaviour from that TMO (Tom Foley) that we got during the Irish series last year. The same TMO. We expected what we got.”
South Africa defended their crown through four Handre Pollard penalties, all of them coming in the first half, to win a third successive knock-out game by a single point.
It lifts them above New Zealand as the most successful side in World Cup history with four titles.
“There aren’t a lot of things going right in our country and we have the privilege to be able to do what we love and inspire people in life, not just sports people,” Kolisi said.
“Where I come from, I couldn’t dream I could be here today. We come from different walks of life. I had my own goals and ambitions.
“I want to look after my family, I want to give back to my community. You need to come and see South Africa to understand.
“When we come together nothing can stop us, not just in sport but also in life.”
Charles Leclerc saw off team-mate Carlos Sainz by just 0.067 seconds as Ferrari locked out the front row for Sunday’s Mexican Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen improved on his final run at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez but could not usurp the Ferrari drivers, finishing 0.097 sec adrift.
The triple world champion also faces a nervous wait to see if he is moved down the grid after being summoned to see the stewards.
Verstappen, charged with impeding on the pit exit, is among four drivers who will be hauled in front of the race officials.
Lewis Hamilton, disqualified from finishing runner-up to Verstappen at the United States Grand Prix a week ago, may too feel the wrath of the race referees for failing to slow under yellow flags. Hamilton finished only sixth, 0.288 sec back.
George Russell, who qualified eighth, and Fernando Alonso, 13th on the grid, have also been called to see the stewards for blocking on the pit exit in Q1.
Verstappen hit the kerb at Turn 8 in his first attempt in Q3 to leaving him trailing Leclerc by 0.120 sec.
The Red Bull man, who has won 15 of the 18 rounds so far, produced a better last lap, but could not prevent Leclerc from sealing his second pole in as many weekends.
“I didn’t expect to be one pole because we looked to be lacking quite a bit of pace after practice,” said Leclerc.
“But for some reason once we put everything together it went well and on the new tyres we gained a lot.
“I’m already focusing on tomorrow’s race because we have had many pole positions this season, but we need to convert it into victory and that is going to be very difficult.”
Nearly 400,000 spectators will pass through the gates at the high-altitude Mexico City venue this weekend with the majority here to support Sergio Perez.
But the home favourite failed to deliver, finishing nearly three tenths adrift of Verstappen and qualified fifth, one position behind Daniel Ricciardo who impressed in his AlphaTauri.
Earlier, Lando Norris was the surprise name eliminated from the opening phase of qualifying, leaving the in-form British driver in 19th place.
Norris, who has finished on the podium at the past four races, attempted to progress from Q1 on the slower medium rubber in order to save a set of speedier softs.
But the plan backfired when Norris’ lap wasn’t quick enough. Norris bolted on the soft tyres but then made a mistake a Turn 10.
He aborted the lap and prepared for one last attempt, only to run into yellow flags at the opening bend after Alonso spun in his Aston Martin. Norris’ qualifying was over leaving him a tall order to salvage anything from tomorrow’s race.
American rookie Logan Sargeant, who earned his first point in F1 last weekend in Austin, will prop up the grid after he saw two laps scrubbed off by the stewards for exceeding track limits.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
