1. Fury hopes Joshua beats Ruiz Jr in rematch
Tyson Fury wants to see British boxing rival Anthony Joshua reclaim the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight belts by beating Andy Ruiz Jr in December’s rematch in Saudi Arabia.
That’s because Fury is eyeing a possible bout with the winner of that contest should WBC champion Deontay Wilder lose next month against Luis Ortiz.
Speaking today on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, the “Gypsy King” said: “I hope he [Joshua] gets his belts back because it makes a massive fight between me and him. But if he doesn’t then I will just have to go and beat up Andy Ruiz Jr.
“If Deontay [Wilder] loses in November against Luis Ortiz, I would take the winner of AJ vs. Ruiz Jr in February or March.”
2. Hamilton responds to criticism
Lewis Hamilton can win his sixth Formula 1 world title this weekend at the Mexican Grand Prix but much of the pre-race focus has been on the Mercedes driver’s social media posts.
Last week Hamilton had posted on Instagram that he felt like “giving up on everything” and had urged people to become vegan to help the environment, the BBC reports.
After being accused of hypocrisy because of the lavish lifestyle of F1 drivers, Hamilton defended his posts and said: “A lot of people had their opinions on how I use my social media but ultimately it’s my platform and we all have a voice.
“It’s not the easiest because yes, we are travelling around the world and we are racing Formula 1 cars. Our carbon footprint for sure is higher than the average homeowner.
“But that doesn’t mean you should be afraid to speak out about things that can be a positive change.”
F1 Mexican GP: preview, predictions and title permutations
3. Liverpool win High Court kit battle
Liverpool are free to sign a lucrative kit deal with Nike after winning their High Court battle against New Balance.
Sky Sports reports that the Premier League leaders were being sued by New Balance after “allegedly refusing to honour the terms of their current £40m-a-year deal, which expires in May 2020”.
After the judge dismissed the case, a Liverpool spokesperson said: “The club is pleased with the judge’s decision to rule in favour of the club following the legal dispute with our current kit supplier, New Balance.
“We will continue with New Balance for the current season, in combination with preparing next season’s Liverpool kits with our new supplier.”
4. Williamson out of T20 series
New Zealand will be without skipper Kane Williamson for the Twenty20 series against England in November. Williamson has a hip injury so Tim Southee will captain the Black Caps.
Meanwhile, it has been announced that England will travel to Sri Lanka for a two-Test tour in March next year.
5. ‘Atrocious’ Warriors lose at Chase Center
The Golden State Warriors were beaten 141-122 by the Los Angeles Clippers in the first regular-season NBA match at the new £1bn Chase Center in San Francisco.
Warriors star Draymond Green gave a scathing assessment of his team’s performance. He said: “I’m not a moral victory kind of guy, I’m not looking for something to build off on. We f****** sucked. Our defence was atrocious… off the ball, on the ball, pick-and-roll, transition defence.”
6. What’s on this weekend?
As well as two massive Rugby World Cup semi-finals the women’s tennis WTA Finals begin in the Chinese city of Shenzhen.
On Sunday’s there’s also NFL action at Wembley Stadium between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals, and the Formula 1 Mexican Grand Prix in Mexico City.
2019 sports event calendar and UK live TV guide
7. Nationals aim for 3-0 lead in World Series
The Washington Nationals will take a 2-0 lead into game three of Major League Baseball’s World Series against the Houston Astros. Nationals won 12-3 in game two and the third match of the best-of-seven series will be held in Washington tomorrow at 1.07am (UK time).
8. Scholes: Man Utd should sign Ozil
Nicolas Pepe scored two superb free-kicks in Arsenal’s 3-2 Europa League win against Vitoria Guimaraes last night, but much of the pre- and post-match talk was about Mesut Ozil.
The German was again left out of the Arsenal squad by Unai Emery and his future at the Emirates looks bleak.
When asked about Ozil, former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes suggested that the Old Trafford club should make a move for the playmaker.
BT Sport pundit Scholes said: “Someone like Ozil would make a real difference in this [United] team. I think he’s got great quality, he’s shown that in his career. He could be an answer short term.”
Pepe scores two stunners and Scholes wants Ozil at Man Utd
9. Wales rocked by Williams injury
Wales have been dealt a devastating injury blow after full-back Liam Williams was ruled out of Sunday’s Rugby World Cup semi-final against South Africa.
Williams sustained an ankle injury in training and will miss the remainder of the tournament. Leigh Halfpenny comes into the starting XV at full-back.
Wales vs. South Africa: predictions and preview
Wales starting XV
- 15. Leigh Halfpenny, 14. George North, 13. Jonathan Davies, 12. Hadleigh Parkes, 11. Josh Adams, 10. Dan Biggar, 9. Gareth Davies; 1. Wyn Jones 2. Ken Owens 3. Tom Francis 4. Jake Ball 5. Alun Wyn Jones (captain) 6. Aaron Wainwright 7. Justin Tipuric 8. Ross Moriarty
- Replacements: 16 Elliot Dee, 17 Rhys Carre, 18 Dillon Lewis, 19 Adam Beard, 20 Aaron Shingler, 21 Tomos Williams, 22 Rhys Patchell, 23 Owen Watkin
South Africa starting XV
- 15 Willie Le Roux, 14 S’Busiso Nkosi, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Faf de Klerk; 1 Tendai Mtawarira, 2 Mbongeni Mbonambi, 3 Frans Malherbe, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 5 Lood de Jager, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 7 Pieter-Steph Du Toit, 8 Duane Vermeulen
- Replacements: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18. Vincent Koch, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Franco Mostert, 21 Francois Louw, 22 Herschel Jantjies, 23 Frans Steyn
10. ‘Get the beers in and roar us on’
Eddie Jones has issued a rallying cry to the England team and supporters ahead of tomorrow’s Rugby World Cup semi-final against New Zealand.
Jones has called on his squad to dethrone the two-time defending world champions and also wants England fans to enjoy a few beers before roaring on the team.
He said: “They need to drink a fair bit of beer beforehand and be ready to go. We also need everyone to go down to their local club, have a few pints or whatever you need to have to cheer loudly for us.”
England vs. New Zealand: preview, predictions, starting XVs
Today’s back pages
‘Beer we go’: Eddie Jones urges England fans to be sup for the cup
