Following reports, it has now been confirmed that Tyson Fury will make his ring return in a UK stadium.

‘The Gypsy King’ retired from the sport in January 2025 following two losses to Oleksandr Usyk. At the start of this year, he confirmed what many believed was inevitable when announcing his comeback.

With his sights set on world titles, revenge against Usyk or a long-awaited grudge match against Anthony Joshua later in the year, Fury has first booked what should be an easier touch in Makhmudov, though the Russian powerhouse can punch hard and has lost on only two occasions.

For the showdown, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has now been booked, as confirmed by Ring Magazine’s Turki Alalshikh in a statement today.

“Fury vs Makhmudov will take place at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday 11 April, with the landmark London venue confirmed to host the heavyweight bout. The event is promoted by The Ring and will be broadcast globally on Netflix.

“The press conference will take place on Monday 16th February at 4 pm at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, giving fans and media a first look at both heavyweights ahead of the fight. The press conference will stream live on Ring Magazine and Netflix’s YouTube channels.”

The first marks Spurs’ stadium’s fifth boxing card, with Anthony Joshua vs Usyk’s first meeting the inaugural show before Fury’s trilogy with Derek Chisora a year later. In 2024, Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn twice did battle at the 62,850 capacity ground.

In The Everest, just shy of a length covered Joliestar, Angel Capital and Lady Shenandoah from the stable, and before the Expressway Stakes face-off, Chris Waller can’t easily separate the trio.

“Joliestar has come back really well. James (McDonald) has been on her in a few pieces of work and her trials and been very happy,” Waller said.

“I don’t know where the ceiling is with Angel Capital, but he is very, very good. That’s what we will find out about him.”

Waller admits Lady Shenandoah might be the one slipping under the radar post a disrupted spring.

“Through bad luck, I guess she is. She had no luck (last campaign),” he said.

Proven at the pinnacle already are Joliestar and Lady Shenandoah, while Angel Capital eyes his Group 1 breakthrough.

Drawn short in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m), he ran into airborne Jimmysstar securing second in the CF Orr Stakes (1400m) at the end of spring.

Waller is convinced, however, that the four-year-old has more to offer and is primed for Group 1 glory.

“It’s as simple as that,” he said.

“He seems equally effective left-handed or right-handed. He will be ready to go fresh. He’s a big strong horse, a proper horse.”

He dislikes rematching the sprinters so soon and keeps paths versatile, but ponders Newmarket Handicap (1200m) for Angel Capital, with prior winner Joliestar slated for the Sydney Canterbury Stakes (1300m).

For the Expressway Stakes (1200m) on Thursday, markets installed Joliestar $2.60 elect, Lady Shenandoah $3.40 and Angel Capital $4. The racing betting markets offer plenty of options for backing your pick in the Expressway Stakes.

The post a-star-an-angel-and-a-lady-vie-for-expressway-honours first appeared on Just Horse Racing.

Gary Portelli accepts that Queen Of Clubs might not have the pace to rival the leading fillies over short courses, though he believes her future lies in stamina tests further out.

Bound for the Group 1 ATC Australian Oaks (2400m) this April, the three-year-old begins her autumn assignment in Saturday’s Light Fingers Stakes (1200m) at Randwick.

“We’re on an Oaks campaign,” Portelli said.

“Winning a stakes race is what we’re hoping to do, and I don’t think that’s going to come until she gets to 2000 metres.

“I don’t think she is sharp enough to win against these really good fillies like Apocalyptic, who is a really sharp horse. She will be hard to beat right up until the mile, but from there on, the gate opens up a bit more.”

A progeny of the noted staying stallion Maurice, Queen Of Clubs performed adequately in a pair of Princess Series contests last spring before heart arrhythmia caused her demise in the Flight Stakes (1600m).

Her first win and only listed placing occurred amid rain-softened surfaces, and Portelli highlights that autumn showers would aid his charge.

“If we happen to get rain when we get to our grand final period, it would certainly help,” he said.

“She loves it wet and the autumn is often a wet time.”

Portelli likewise reintroduces Verona Rose in the Triscay Stakes (1200m), ideally over more ground but impressed by her growth since the Inglis Bracelet (1600m) success at Flemington during November.

Though conceding “three or four lengths” extra speed is needed versus premier mares, her barn manners excite him.

“It’s a different horse you’re going to see this weekend. She’s more powerful. She’s got more condition on her. She knows what she is here for now, and she never runs a bad race,” Portelli said.

“Whether she’s up to the real Group One horses, we will find out this campaign.

“She’s heading towards a Coolmore (Classic) if she can really get some form under her belt, and we’ll just try to earn as much prizemoney as we can in the process.”

Verona Rose boasts a 2-from-3 first-up strike rate, yet this will be her shortest trip yet under 1300 metres. Punters should review racing betting markets for the upcoming Light Fingers Stakes.

The post Portelli playing the long game with Queen Of Clubs first appeared on Just Horse Racing.

Around Flemington racecourse stand tributes in statue form to Phar Lap, Bart Cummings, Makybe Diva and Roy Higgins.

The Victoria Racing Club on Thursday launched inside The Forum at Flemington a dedicated history of champion mare Black Caviar, despite her statue residing at Caulfield, in anticipation of Saturday’s Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning (1000m).

The installation, ‘The Perfect Run’, traces Black Caviar’s unblemished 25-start career with eight Flemington victories, from her initial run as a two-year-old in April 2009 to concluding in Randwick’s T J Smith four years after.

Trophies, memorabilia spanning her achievements, a photo array and brief histories of each of the 25 wins form the core of the exhibition.

At the ceremony were Black Caviar’s trainer Peter Moody, jockey Luke Nolen and owners, as the public exhibit prepares to open Saturday.

For Moody, guiding the mare through 25 undefeated races earning near $8 million proved both thrilling and terrifying.

“The last time she went on to a racetrack totally sound was her second or third start in a race,” Moody said.

“As Luke touched on earlier, it was more about relief (after every win) than enjoyment, which is sad when you have something that good.

I had wonder staff and wonderful people around me and it had to be, as you could not handle it by yourself and for me personally, and Luke personally, our families were a big part of it.

We didn’t cook and that didn’t feed onto the horse.”

Moody called it rewarding to race on after the post-June 2012 Royal Ascot Diamond Jubilee retirement considerations.

Announcement of retirement was deferred until after overseas excursions following Royal Ascot for the ownership and associates.

“We had basically retired her after Ascot, but everyone was heading off on their European vacations, and we were going to get together when everyone got home and announce her retirement,” Moody said.

“But to get her back for those three runs afterwards, that was something very special.”

Reflecting on Black Caviar greeting The Queen after Royal Ascot, Moody said it stood out as hugely significant.

“Everyone got invited to morning tea earlier in the week, except me, and I think they were all a bit toey about me meeting her on race day,” Moody said.

“Just to see her love of the horse and to see her come down into the enclosure, which I believe hadn’t happened before, and gave the horse a pat, was very special.

She was that buggered after the race, and we had Paddy (Bell) on one side and me on the other, and there were so many people in the yard that we were that worried someone might give her a smack on that big bum of hers.

I thought crikey, if she takes offence to it, we might take out The Queen here with Black Caviar.

I don’t know how she would have gone with 600 kilos running over the top of her. There might have been a change of Monarch and Charlie might have got the gig a few years earlier.

And we would have been really considered convicts then.”

Moody’s engaging memories reveal the mare’s storied path; supporters gearing up for the 2026 Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning (1000m) can peruse racing betting markets now.

The post Black Caviar exhibition unveiled at Flemington first appeared on Just Horse Racing.

The boxing world is raving about Shakur Stevenson after his most recent win, with many branding him unbeatable, but there is one fighter who believes he will be avoided by the Newark southpaw at all costs.

Stevenson dethroned Teofimo Lopez to claim the WBO super-lightweight world title on Saturday night.

After being stripped of his WBC lightweight belt just days after, it remains unclear whether Stevenson will remain at 140 to defend his new strap or return to 135 without a title but with big fights still to make.

With plenty of options on the table, two-division world champion Tim Bradley picked out WBC super-featherweight ruler O’Shaquie Foster as the man who could provide Stevenson his toughest test.

“I’m going to tell you all, you might disagree with me, but a fighter that can get with Shakur, I’m not saying beat him, but can get with him on his level, his name is O’Shaquie Foster.

“Foster as far as notoriety, he’s not bigger than Teo, but as far as skill [he is]. O’Shaquie should be on the pound-for-pound list. O’Shaquie has a lot of what Shakur has with the distance, he got a fast jab too coming from the southpaw stance.

“The last fighter that beat Shakur Stevenson [in the amateurs] was a southpaw. O’Shaquie can switch to orthodox too, he’s big too. He’s got some size on him, some reach on him, got some pop on him.”

On the ‘Come and Talk 2 Me’ podcast – an interview which took place before Stevenson’s WBC belt was declared vacant – Foster said that Stevenson will steer clear of the 135lb division due to the threat of him stepping up from 130lbs and becoming his mandatory challenger.

“If he comes back to 135, I am going to make it happen, he isn’t going to have no choice. But, I guarantee you this, he will stay far away from me. I guarantee you that he won’t come back to 135.

“That is what he is going to do, I promise you. Why do you think he is talking about Conor Benn and ‘I just want big fights’, so whoopty woo because he knows that if he comes back to 135 then I am going to press that button and become the mandatory and we are going to see.”

If Stevenson remains at 140lbs, it is expected that Cuba’s WBC Interim lightweight champion Jadier Herrera will either be upgraded to full champion or fight for the vacant belt, with Foster being one possible candidate for the opposing corner.

Putting can be an extremely frustrating part of the game. There’s nothing worse than hitting a couple of good shots only to squander your birdie opportunity with a three-putt.

Typically, the culprit for the dreaded three-putt is poor distance control. While a stroke that can start the ball on line is important, there’s nothing that can substitute for proper touch.

That’s why having a system for predicting speed is so important. We use rangefinders from the fairways and tee boxes, so why not use one on the putting green? No, I don’t mean you should actually pull out a laser when you’re reading your putts, but I do suggest stepping off the distance to the hole with your feet.

How stepping off putts works

One of the ways I teach my students to improve speed control is by counting the steps between your ball and the hole. (Just don’t take too long to do it, or you will soon become an enemy of your playing partners.)

Just like when hitting a ball from the fairway, you need a way to calibrate how far the ball should travel. Walking off the distance from your ball to the hole as you read the putt provides valuable information that will help you control your speed.

By pacing off your putts, you can create a consistent reference for distance, allowing you to adjust your stroke accordingly. Shorter putts call for shorter strokes; longer putts require longer ones, etc.

How to practice stepping off your putts

1. Set up your practice station

I like to start by measuring out 5, 10 and 15 paces from the hole and placing a tee in the ground to mark them. Start hitting putts from each marker and take note of how long your stroke is for each. Start with the shortest putts and work your way up.

2. Adjust your stroke

As you go through this exercise, make a mental note of how far back and through you take the putterhead. While you do this, the tempo of your stroke should remain consistent. The only thing that changes is the length.

3. Dial in each distance

After you’ve gotten a feel for your stroke size from each distance, work on fine-tuning. Try some putts up and down hills from different distances and make note of how the slopes affect your stroke size.

Why I teach stepping off putts

I like teaching my students to pace off putts for a few reasons. For one, it makes them more consistent putters, which reduces three-putts and helps them shoot lower scores. This leads to increased confidences, which allows them to make more committed strokes. Additionally, when they step off their putts, it forces them to be more structured during their practice time, which is always good for improvement.

If you are struggling with distance control on the greens, give this method a shot.

Snow swirled, Snoop Dogg shizzled but Chloe Kim fell short in her attempt to soar to Olympic snowboard history on a dramatic and star-struck night at the Livigno Snow Park.

Snoop, in Italy as a special correspondent for US broadcaster NBC, joined the likes of halfpipe hero Shaun White and Kim’s boyfriend, the NFL star Myles Garrett, to see if she could become the first snowboarder to win three consecutive Olympic golds.

Instead the rapper – wearing a ski jacket embossed with images of Kim – was left paying homage to South Korean 17-year-old Gaon Choi, who recovered from an horrific-looking crash on her first run to eclipse the American favourite with a third run score of 90.25.

Left with one final attempt to wrest back gold, Kim fell attempting a cab double 1080, the same trick that had cost her in her second run, stranding her in second place on 88.0, more than two points down on Thursday’s qualification score.

It was a stunning twist to an absorbing competition high in the Italian Alps, where heavy snowfall made conditions difficult, contributing to five crashes among the 12 finalists at the first attempt.

The most scary was Choi’s, which left her face-down in the middle of the pipe, where she lay motionless for a moment while a stretcher was called. Thankfully, she was soon able to slide to the foot of the pipe unaided.

Kim, competing in her first major competition since dislocating her shoulder in January, looked set to soar serenely above the chaos as she duly delivered her first run total and sat seemingly impervious at the top of the leaderboard.

Though she failed to improve at her second attempt, there still seemed little danger to her hopes of eclipsing former US team-mate White, whose own three gold medals were split by a fourth place in Sochi in 2014.

Out of nowhere Choi, whose recovery itself was remarkable enough, delivered a stunning final run, including a switch backside nine, to eclipse her hero and take gold at the same age that Kim was when she won her first Olympic title in Pyeongchang.

“It’s the kind of story you only see in your dreams,” said Choi. “My knees are a bit bad (after the crash), but I feel like I’m overcoming it all with happiness.”

The impact that Kim has had on her discipline was evident in a top nine that comprised entirely Asian or Asian-origin athletes, some of whom would have barely strapped on a board when Kim clinched her first gold in 2018.

“It means so much to me that I’ve inspired a whole new generation,” said an emotional Kim afterwards. “I’m aware I can’t do this for ever and seeing this sport is left in very good hands. I’m so proud of her (Choi), and I hope she soaks in this amazing moment.”