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Boxing: World champion Nick Ball set for Liverpool homecoming against Ronny Rios

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Boxing: World champion Nick Ball set for Liverpool homecoming against Ronny Rios

Nick Ball joked he might “jog” to the M&S Bank Arena for his world title defence on Saturday in Liverpool, considering how close he lives to venue.

The WBA featherweight champion will have a night of firsts, defending his belt for the first time and headlining at the M&S Bank Arena.

Ball, 27, is a big favourite against American Ronny Rios and has not fought in a ring in his home city since 2020.

Ball lives and trains in Liverpool but has contested his last two fights in Saudi Arabia.

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Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, Ball promised an “all-action” performance to pay back the support he has received from his home city.

“We get behind our own if we see someone doing well and putting the hard work in, it pays off,” Ball said.

It was a largely friendly news conference, although Rios’ manager insisted that while Ball “deserved” his homecoming, he had “unfortunately picked the wrong opponent” for it.

Rios, 34, has four losses in 38 fights, making him the more experienced fighter, but his previous two world title shots have been at super-bantamweight.

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Ball attended the media event with his WBA belt for the first time. He won the title in June, but traditionally the new holder gives the belt back to the defeated champion and waits for his own to be delivered.

Nicknamed ‘the Wrecking Ball’, Ball has five stoppages in his last eight outings and was surprised to hear Rios intended to fight fire with fire in the ring.

“If he thinks he’s going to get in there and push me back, he’s got another thing coming,” Ball said.

“It might sound good in front of the cameras, but once you get in the ring it’s a different story.”

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Unification fights await Ball if he can beat Rios, with Angelo Leo holding the IBF title and Rafael Espinoza the WBO champion.

Ball has already faced another world champion, WBC title holder Rey Vargas, but was held to a controversial draw by the Mexican in March.

The Kirkby fighter is undefeated, with that one draw plus 20 wins including 11 stoppages on his record.

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Sportscene: Watch highlights of Kilmarnock v Rangers

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October 20, 2024

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Sportscene: Watch highlights of Kilmarnock v Rangers

Watch extended highlights of Kilmarnock against Rangers, plus goals and reaction from the rest of the weekend’s Premiership matches.

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MMA

Johnny Eblen dislikes Donald Cerrone MMA return after using steroids: ‘Conor paved the way’

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October 20, 2024

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Johnny Eblen dislikes Donald Cerrone MMA return after using steroids: ‘Conor paved the way’

Johnny Eblen is the latest fighter to criticize the “Cowboy” comeback.

Longtime UFC veteran Donald Cerrone recently announced he plans to come out of retirement in pursuit of being the first fighter to log 50 in-cage appearances across the UFC and WEC. His return has been met with criticism from several of his peers, especially given that Cerrone has admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs while out of competition.

Eblen was asked about an existing issue with Cerrone and he explained that he doesn’t approve of Cerrone fighting again.

“I just don’t think it’s a good idea to retire, take a bunch of steroids and then come back and fight again,” Eblen said, speaking to the media at the PFL Battle of the Giants on Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. “It’s not a good look. I think Conor [McGregor] paved the way, I think he’s influencing a lot of other people to do it, and I think people are trying to fight past their prime and use all these substances and it’s just not natural, it’s not good.

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“Your brain doesn’t heal from steroids. So all that CTE just adds up. I’m very against steroids, I’m very against people fighting past their prime.”

Cerrone turned 41 this past March. It is not yet known if the UFC will accept his request to step into the octagon again, but UFC CEO Dana White shared his opinion on the matter saying, “Love him, hate that.”

As far as Conor McGregor goes, while the former two-division champion has noticeably bulked up at various points during his break from competition dating back to July 2021, he has never officially failed a drug test. After injuring his leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264, McGregor was subsequently removed from the drug-testing pool until he began being tested again in October 2023.

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Motorsports

DTM – Round 8: Hockenheim Race 2 – Highlights

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October 20, 2024

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Horse racing tips: 11-1 pick has winning form over this trip and track and is right at home in bottomless ground

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October 20, 2024

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Horse racing tips: Bash the bookies with these three longshots at Epsom

SUN Racing takes on Monday hungry for winners.

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LONGSHOT

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REDREDROBIN (4.10 Bath)

She has winning form over this trip and track and is right at home in bottomless ground.

THIEF

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TESTIMONIAL (2.45 Pontefract)

He was a much improved second on handicap debut at Thirsk and has more to offer.

PATROL (4.05 Southwell)

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He has improved with every handicap run and can go close on this debut for new connections.

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MMA

PFL’s Renan Ferreira releases statement on TKO loss to Francis Ngannou

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23 mins ago

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October 20, 2024

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PFL’s Renan Ferreira releases statement on TKO loss to Francis Ngannou

Renan Ferreira is staying positive despite coming up short in the biggest bout of his career.

The 2023 PFL heavyweight champion suffered a first-round TKO to former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in the main event of PFL: Battle of the Giants – which went down on Saturday in Saudi Arabia.

Ferreira (13-4) gave all the credit to Ngannou (18-3), and assures he’ll come back stronger from this defeat.

“Hey guys, Renan ‘Problema’ here, a bit broken,” Ferreira said in Portuguese on his Instagram Stories. “Yesterday wasn’t a good day at work, guys, but I’m very happy with all our dedication and everything that developed through our work. I’ve always had the mindset of never losing, for myself, to fight any lack of dedication and commitment, and thank God I have a clean conscience. I worked very hard there, showed up well to the fight, and was happy to return.

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“Unfortunately, my opponent was superior. He managed to impose a game where that I couldn’t defend the takedowns, which led to very hard ground-and-pound to get through. And that’s it, life goes on, we’ll be back. I want to thank everyone for all the love and support, we’re always together. Hugs.”

With the defeat, Ferreira saw his four-fight winning streak come to an end. He entered PFL: Battle of the Giants off his best career stretch, as he had knockout wins over Matheus Scheffel, Maurice Greene, Denis Goltsov, and Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL: Battle of the Giants.

Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.

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Football

Seahawks' Geno Smith connects with DK Metcalf for a 31-yard touchdown vs. Falcons | NFL Highlights

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October 20, 2024

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Seahawks




Seattle Seahawks’ Geno Smith connected with DK Metcalf for a 31-yard touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons.



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