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World Boxing name Gennady Golovkin as chair in bid to fill void left by IBA

  • Ex-world champion becomes Olympic Commission chair
  • World Boxing anxious for sport to make return to Games

World Boxing has appointed Gennady Golovkin as the chair of its new Olympic Commission, charging the former middleweight world champion with the task of helping the body establish itself as the sport’s recognised international federation. World Boxing, launched in 2023, has 44 members and is seeking to fill the void left by the International Boxing Association (IBA).

The IBA was stripped of recognition last year by the International Olympic Committee, which has not included the sport on the Los Angeles 2028 Games programme yet and has urged national federations to create a new global boxing body to replace the IBA.

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‘A line in the sand moment’: Premiership’s troubles laid bare by report | Robert Kitson

Seven of the 10 Premiership clubs are balance sheet insolvent but all of rugby must change, says James Haskell

Rarely has the gap between how rugby would like to be perceived and the unvarnished reality felt wider than it did on a grey midweek lunchtime in the City of London. The Honourable Artillery Company – “Turn right just past the cannon, sir” – remains a seriously valuable piece of real estate which made it an interesting choice of venue from which to launch a coruscating critique of the financial state of English club rugby.

It was certainly instructive to sit among seated rows of money men and lawyers listening to assorted experts, academics and – boom, tish! – the former England flanker James Haskell assessing the findings of a newly published independent report into the health of the Premiership’s finances. Interrupted only by the occasional chiming of a splendid grandfather clock, it was the most contemporary of debates in the most old school of settings.

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Seven Premiership clubs are balance sheet insolvent, finance report warns

  • James Haskell fears rugby ‘heading for precipice’
  • Ten clubs collectively lost around £30.5m in 2022-23

Seven of the 10 English Premiership clubs are balance sheet insolvent, according to an independent financial industry report which has prompted a stark warning that unless the sport embraces change it is “heading for a precipice”.

A comprehensive study analysing the financial sustainability of all the Premiership sides, unveiled by the leading UK corporate recovery and insolvency firm Leonard Curtis, concluded that only three clubs – Leicester, Northampton and Gloucester – would be viable without the backing of wealthy owners and said they must face “some harsh realities”.

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Super League playoffs: can anyone topple serial champions Wigan?

Warriors have hit form at an ominous time but Hull KR, Warrington and Salford have grounds for optimism

The Super League playoffs begin on Friday but there is a very different feel this time around. Four of the six sides vying to reach Old Trafford on 12 October have yet to win a Grand Final – though to do so they will have to get past the reigning champions and undoubted favourites, Wigan Warriors.

Wigan Warriors (1st)

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Dan Biggar: ‘I quite enjoyed taking flak and proving people wrong the next week’

The former Wales fly-half on breaking the mould to survive in the No 10 jersey, disappointment over concessions from players’ strike threats and life by the beach in Toulon

“I’m certainly not your stereotypical Welsh fly‑half and I don’t apologise for being different,” Dan Biggar says with a wry smile at a little restaurant on the beach front in Toulon. “I quite like the fact that I was different and did it my way.”

Storm clouds are rolling in from the sea and the atmospheric setting adds to a compelling conversation with Biggar, who, in contrast to his feisty image on the rugby pitch, is a friendly and thoughtful man. The darkening sky reminds us of Wales, which, for Biggar, “has always been a land of poets and dreamers”.

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‘The table needs to be burned’: Mark Allen hits out at British Open conditions

  • Allen: Cheltenham conditions ‘absolutely embarrassing’
  • Judd Trump records the 999th century of his career

Mark Allen has hit out at “embarrassing” playing conditions at the British Open in Cheltenham, adding the table he won his first-round match on “needs to be burned”.

Allen, who was world No 1 from May to August of this year, defeated Gary Wilson 4-3 on table two at the Centaur, a venue at Cheltenham racecourse. Afterwards, he alleged that doors were left open at the venue, making the playing area “cold and humid” and the table “unplayable”.

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County cricket talking points: Surrey champions again as Somerset hearts are broken

Rory Burns’ team makes it three in a row and Sussex will play in division one next season

By Gary Naylor for the 99.94 Cricket Blog

So we’re halfway to the quiz question we’ve all been waiting for – what connects Kennington and Kansas City? All we need now is for Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce to emulate Rory Burns and Ben Foakes and deliver their Super Bowl three-peat to match Surrey’s in the County Championship. With Taylor Swift apparently indisposed on Friday, there’s still a chance for somebody to witness both hat-tricks in person.

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Lancashire chief fears players’ agents threaten County Championship’s future

  • Daniel Gidney says agents ‘don’t care’ about county game
  • Long-serving executive wants higher salaries for players

Lancashire’s chief executive has said agents are the main threat to the future of the County Championship. Daniel Gidney, one of county cricket’s longest-serving chief executives, criticised agents for not caring about the championship and instead turning players’ heads to the ever-burgeoning number of franchise tournaments.

“We need to have more of an open conversation,” Gidney said as he watched Lancashire turn the tables on Somerset at Old Trafford to improve their survival chances and give Surrey the title. “Coaches get blamed, administrators get blamed, but if you want to blame anybody, blame agents … I think the game as a whole needs to come together to find a way to support the championship.

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Argentina stun South Africa to keep Rugby Championship hopes alive

  • Argentina shock South Africa in 29-28 win
  • Pumas aiming for unlikely first Rugby Championship title

Flyhalf Tomas Albornoz kicked a penalty 11 minutes from the end to hand Argentina a thrilling 29-28 victory over South Africa and keep their hopes of winning the Rugby Championship alive in a blisteringly hot Santiago del Estero on Saturday.

The world champion Springboks, who had the chance to win the game with a late penalty from flyhalf Manie Libbok that was missed, lead the table with 19 points from second-placed Argentina on 14 points ahead of a final meeting between the sides in Nelspruit next Saturday where the title will be decided.

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Wigan close in on history as Super League reaches thrilling climax

Warriors are two wins away from becoming first side to win a major quadruple but unpredictable season could continue

After 27 engrossing rounds, it all came down to Frantic Friday: the night Super League’s playoff picture would be thrillingly resolved. That was how it played out too, with the lineup set after Leigh’s dramatic victory over St Helens.

But to water it all down into one night would be doing a disservice to a season full of twists and turns. For months, the suspicion was many of the big narratives would go to the wire. Now, the top six are fixed and the business end of the season begins with plenty to ponder.

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