Moses Itauma has shut down talk of future stadium fights and insisted his sole focus is on claiming the world heavyweight title with victory over Filip Hrgovic on August 29.

British heavyweight prospect Itauma (14-0, 12KOs) will fight for the vacant IBF crown in his 15th professional fight at O2 Arena and aim to remain on course to dominate the blue-riband division for the next decade.

Queensberry promoter Frank Warren last week described the 21-year-old as the “hottest young boxer” in the world and predicted a Wembley blockbuster showdown with Daniel Dubois in 2027 if Croatian power-puncher Hrgovic (20-1, 15KOs) can be navigated in London.

Yet, Itauma told British media on Friday: “I haven’t really thought about that to be honest.

“If I don’t get past Hrgovic, there ain’t going to be no stadium fights.”

The short and sharp nature of Itauma’s answer fits with his current image and resume, which contains 12 knockout wins and eight inside three minutes.

It is those numbers sprinkled in with devastating finishes, like the uppercut to end his last bout with Jermaine Franklin in Manchester, that has made Warren and plenty of other boxing experts anoint Itauma as the future of the sport.

The dream of being called out as world heavyweight champion first entered the consciousness of the Chatham southpaw at the age of 16 to 17 when Queensberry had already secured his signature.

Whilst Itauma is ready to deliver under the London lights, he has been candid enough to admit at an unease with his growing presence in the public eye.

“Maybe 16 or 17,” Itauma said. “(My aim) was becoming the youngest (world heavyweight champion) and it was all the money and fame that came after.

“Then when I started progressing through my career, I saw the negative side of it, I was kind of like, ‘I might not want this,’ but the way I am heading, like I said, I might not have a choice.

“I just try to be authentic when I am on the camera and then in my boxing, I guess they see I am putting on entertaining fights, so that might have a part to play in it.

“I don’t really know. I’m not braggadocious, I’m not swaggerdocious, I don’t do anything extraordinary outside of the ring.

“In my mind it might be because I come across like myself. I don’t try to be anyone else.

“I remember the Jermaine Franklin fight, yeah when everybody was going, ‘oh Moses Itauma,’ and I just want to sit there and appreciate it, but it’s hard because I’m in the ring fighting!

“You try to appreciate and take it in but at the same time you don’t want to be starstruck and get caught out.”

Hrgovic has talked down Itauma’s CV and stoked the fire before this world title fight, but received a warning from his opponent.

“Ah man, nobody comes to watch heavyweights and two guys go to points,” Itauma said, with a menacing smile.

“If you are watching the heavyweight division, you want to see some knockouts.”

Fifa and its president Gianni Infantino have been accused of breaking trust “through deception” in an open letter issued by Uefa, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation.

The letter, signed by the presidents and general secretaries, said recent controversy over the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal was fundamentally about “the integrity of the game, and the integrity of those elected to lead it”.

FFE would have meant a new company being created to manage commercial and ticketing rights of all Fifa competitions, including the World Cups, with 21% sold off to a private investment company.

It was aborted after widespread criticism from several confederations, led by Uefa which has threatened a boycott of all Fifa competitions.

“When trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been abandoned,” the letter read.

It comes after Fifa issued a statement on Saturday evening which strongly criticised a “concerted and ongoing effort” to “undermine” the organisation and Infantino.

The letter called for a review to be “conducted by a fully independent third party” after Fifa committed to present a report to the Fifa Council in October.

For the first time in pre-season, this started to feel like a typical Manchester United summer. Trips to Helsinki, Trondheim and Stockholm had been low-key. A squad lacking stars, barely any welcome party and attendances that suggested United’s hold on Scandinavia perhaps wasn’t as strong as thought.

But when the squad arrived at their hotel a couple of miles outside Gothenburg city centre at around 6.30pm on Friday, there was finally a crowd waiting for them. It might only have been 100 or so supporters, but this was a hotel around the industrial pier of Sweden’s second city.

There was a buzz at United’s arrival. The novelty factor of a visit to Gothenburg for the first time in a decade helped, as did the return of some of the club’s World Cup stars and the presence of Youri Tielemans for the first time this summer.

Andrey Santos might have cost more money, but Tielemans feels the biggest signing of the window so far at Old Trafford, as a bona fide Premier League star and someone who has just captained Belgium at the World Cup.

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But wherever United go, there is only one true star in the squad. This is a group lacking the big names of previous United squads. It’s a team without an obvious ego and lacking the kind of player to make headlines when he sneezes.

Bruno Fernandes is the closest they have to that kind of figure, and his return to the squad was greeted with glee in Gothenburg. It was ‘Bruno’ the supporters outside the hotel were shouting for and it was the club captain who spent the longest outside, signing autographs and posing for selfies long after his teammates had checked in and stretched themselves out on their beds.

Eventually, Fernandes was ushered inside by security for another fleeting United stay in Scandinavia. About 30 hours after their arrival they headed to Dublin. They did at least spend longer in Gothenburg than PSG, who only arrived in the morning, spent a couple of hours at a city centre hotel, then dashed away after the game.

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The old-school charm of the Ullevi Stadium played host to the biggest crowd to watch United in pre-season so far, and the majority of those in attendance were supporting Michael Carrick’s side, although Kvicha Kvaratskhelia might well have been the biggest star on show.

There was familiar support for United as well, with Juan Mata’s family in attendance and making their way inside the bowels of the stadium to say hello to some old faces. Mata is now plying his trade in Australia but his wife, Evelina Kamph, is Swedish and was at the game.

That added to the slightly chaotic feel after the game. It took United’s players a while to depart, and Carrick had media obligations with MUTV and host broadcaster VG to fulfil. For once this summer, there was a story as well, with Mason Mount going off injured in the first half.

Carrick played down those fears after the game and Mount walked through the mixed zone with a smile on his face, no obvious sign of a limp and a cheery “all good” when asked how he was. While PSG’s players slipped away from the side door, United staffers made sure their players walked through the area where the media were waiting.

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As soon as Mount appeared, the camera phones buzzed into action, and his positive update was welcome news. He had been the star of pre-season so far, but fitness concerns are never far away with the 27-year-old after a rotten couple of years.

Mount took his place on the Saturday evening flight to Dublin and United’s squad were installed at Carton House later that night. It is a familiar environment, having spent several days there in April during a training camp.

They will spend the next five nights there and will use the outstanding facilities for training and a change of scenery after four weeks at Carrington. Dublin’s iconic Croke Park stadium will play host to a sold-out ‘friendly’ against Leeds on Wednesday.

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A bigger media contingent will descend on County Kildare as well, with the short hop across the Irish Sea worth the effort for what will be the story of the summer so far. When Lisandro Martinez, Kobbie Mainoo and Marcus Rashford return to pre-season training, the camera lenses will focus on only one player.

Carrick will speak to external media for the first time this week as well, and Rashford will be a topic of discussion. Carrick has shown a deftness to avoid headlines so far and you can be sure he will handle this situation delicately. His long-standing relationship with Rashford will help.

This is the start of what is essentially United’s final week of pre-season. On Friday, they will head from Dublin to Wroclaw for a game against AC Milan. By the time they’re next back in Manchester, the start of the Premier League campaign will be less than a week away.

Alexandra Eala of the Philippines acknowledges the crowd after losing to Belinda Bencic of Switzerland during day eight of the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers at Sobeys Stadium on August 09, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFP

MANILA, Philippines–There’s no rest for the weary. That old adage has never rung truer for Alex Eala at the moment.

After a grueling stretch playing highly competitive tennis for nearly two weeks straight that ended in the Canadian Open round of 16 on Monday, Eala heads to the next stop of her hard court swing in Ohio for the Cincinnati Open.

Eala will have a short turnaround from Toronto to Cincinnati, where she is making her debut at the WTA 1000 tournament after pulling out last year due to a shoulder injury.

Still, the Filipino sensation will try to squeeze in some me time before returning to action. Luckily for her, being the World No. 20 means she will be seeded in Cincinnati and will get a first-round bye.

“I definitely will take maybe two days off, a day or two. I do have to travel to Cincinnati. I need to get a haircut. I haven’t gotten a haircut in a while. My nails are grown out,” she said with a laugh following a 4-6, 0-6 loss to an in-form Belinda Bencic at Sobeys Stadium – Center court.

“I’ll do a couple things, just to get my mind off tennis. Yeah, reunite maybe with some friends in Cincinnati, and just try to have fun. I’ll be back on court like that, so I got to enjoy what I have. I got to enjoy the time that I have that I’m not on court,” added Eala, who snapped her fingers mid-sentence to emphasize how little time she has before she gets back on the court.

It’s been a hectic but gratifying North American swing so far for Eala, who won her first WTA Tour title in Washington last week.

Eala had reeled off a career-best seven consecutive wins, including a gutsy win over American Caty McNally in the round of 32 on Saturday despite rolling her right ankle in the second set, before her run came to a screeching halt against Bencic.

“It’s always tough, of course, after a loss. But like I said, I’m looking back at these past two weeks as a really big positive. I think I’ve played really well. I’ve gotten through so many obstacles,” she said. “Of course, right now there’s that initial, just kind of a little tired and down from the match.”

“But I mean, I’m healthy, which is something I’m super grateful for. It’s something that’s obviously on the top of my priority all the time. So, yeah, I’m counting my blessings. I’m taking the lessons that I’ve had from these two weeks and hopefully implementing them even more in a better way in Cincinnati and New York.”

Brooks Koepka was quite hard on himself after his first year back on the PGA Tour finished on Sunday after finishing his Wyndham Championship final round.

After shooting 70, Koepka was 3-under for the tournament, which gave him a T67 finish and put him 19 strokes behind the winner, Michael Brennan.

As a result, Koepka, who left LIV Golf to rejoin the PGA Tour this year, finished 94th on the FedExCup Playoffs standings list. The top 70 in the FedEx Cup Standings move on to the St. Jude Championship in Memphis next week, which begins the first of three playoff tournaments.

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Brooks Koepka of the United States plays his shot on the fourth tee during the Pro Am before the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., on Aug. 5, 2026. (Getty Images)

Koepka was candid about this year’s performance after his final round.

“I think it’s pretty pathetic that I can’t get through,” Koepka explained, per Yahoo Sports. “[I’ve had] zero top 10s basically in two years. To be in the prime of your career and be as good as I think I am, I think that’s very pathetic, disappointing.”

MICHAEL THORBJORNSEN ‘FINALLY’ ARRIVES, PATRICK CANTLAY’S GUTLESS DECISION, AND THE FEDEX CUP PLAYOFF BUBBLE

The five-time major tournament winner defected from the rival LIV Golf tour at the beginning of the year, and the PGA Tour made him pay for his return.

Koepka missed out on what the PGA Tour estimated to be $85 million in potential earnings, while he was also limited to which events he participated in. Additionally, Koepka isn’t eligible for the $100 million FedExCup bonus program for the 2026 season.

But it wasn’t a total waste of a season despite how Koepka feels about it.

Brooks Koepka of the United States looks on from the 15th green during the first round of the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club on Aug. 6, 2026, in Greensboro, N.C. (Getty Images)

In his 16 starts, Koepka made 11 cuts, including a T12 at The Masters in April. His best finish came at the Cognizant Classic in March, where he placed T9 to showcase what many believed to be a resurgence in his first year back on Tour.

Koepka slowed down, though. But while he is disappointed in his performances, he enjoyed very moment of being back on the PGA Tour.

“It’s been great,” he said. “Honestly, I’ve loved it. I feel fantastic. The reception’s been great. Overall, happiness is 10 out of 10 and just excited.”

While Koepka will continue to play — he mentioned going overseas to participate in DP World Tour events in Europe – he is also hoping to get back on the PGA Tour grind this fall.

Brooks Koepka of the United States looks on from the fourth green during the Pro Am prior to the Wyndham Championship 2026 at Sedgefield Country Club on Aug. 5, 2026, in Greensboro, N.C. (Getty Images)

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As for what he’s hoping to improve on, he was again straightforward with his answer.

“It’s just all on the greens,” he said. “I don’t know what the deal is. [I’ve] got zero confidence, can’t putt. I don’t know.”

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Jose Mourinho has revealed he signed a contract to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson as Manchester United manager in 2013 only to tearfully renege on the deal and return to Chelsea.

The football world was rocked when the Scottish great announced he was retiring having overseen a 13th Premier League title triumph win during a spell of unrivalled dominance at Old Trafford.

United have failed to return to the top of the English game since Ferguson stepped down, with successor David Moyes sacked after only 10 months in charge.

Mourinho was later brought in, spending two and a half years in charge from 2016, but revealed in a new Netflix documentary about his life that he had agreed to come earlier.

“I go to Chelsea in 2013 but in that period there is something nobody knows,” the Portuguese said in ‘Mourinho’.

“I think I can say because I don’t hurt anyone with the truth, and I think the objective of this work that we are doing is to tell the truth.

“When I left Real Madrid, I signed with Manchester United to go to Manchester United after Sir Alex.”

Mourinho continued: “I was, of course, very flattered, because Manchester United has an incredible appeal.

“When I say Real Madrid is the biggest club in the world, I have to say that Manchester United is very, very close.

“But one thing is love for football, and another thing is love for a certain club.

“I think this is more powerful than love for football and, fundamentally, after Real Madrid, I needed to feel that I’m loved.”

Ferguson was one of the footballing figures interviewed for the new documentary and admits he was under the illusion Mourinho was accepting the offer, only for the situation to change in a matter of hours.

“Early evening he phoned me and he was crying,” the United great said. “And he says, ‘Alex, I can’t take it – I’ve given my word to Chelsea, and I’m not going to break my word’.

“The reason he gave to me I could understand, but I was disappointed.”

Mourinho had a strong bond with Chelsea after leading them to two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and two League Cups during an unforgettable first spell.

The Portuguese parked differences with owner Roman Abramovich to return to Stamford Bridge after leaving Real Madrid, winning another league crown and League Cup before being sacked in December 2015.

“For me to lose the chance to be the coach to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson was dramatic, but I don’t regret because it was a decision that I made with my heart,” Mourinho, now back in charge of Real Madrid, said.

“And I think it is nature that says something that when you do something for love, you are never doing anything wrong. I think it’s nature. I did it for love.

“I went back with the feeling of, yes, I go home, but with big responsibility because what I did before is history, and you don’t want to destroy your legacy.”

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The biggest stars in European athletics head to Birmingham this week for the 2026 European Athletics Championships with continental titles and in some cases world records on the line, just a week after the close of the Commonwealth Games.

A world-class field is headlined by the likes of Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson, who has endured a stop-start season and faces fierce competition in what should be an electrifying 800m event, with Switzerland’s Audrey Werro, the fastest woman in the world this year, and Femke Broeders-Bol – stepping up from her usual 400m hurdles – also on the startlist.

Hodgkinson’s training partner and new Commonwealth Games 800m champion Georgia Hunter Bell is in action but only in the 1,500m, while reigning European 100m champion Dina Asher-Smith is back to defend her title alongside another British hope in world 200m silver medallist Amy Hunt.

In total, 10 reigning world champions will be in action, including legendary pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis, while Norway’s Olympic 5,000m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen will make his long-awaited return from injury having not competed at all in 2026.

Here’s everything you need to know.

When are the European Athletics Championships?

The European Athletics Championships take place in Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium from 10-16 August, the first time they have been held in the UK.

How can I watch it?

The European Athletics Championships will be broadcast live on the BBC and BBC iPlayer. Coverage begins on 10 August on BBC Two from 10.30am.

European Athletics Championships 2026 schedule

All times BST

Monday 10 August

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Tuesday 11 August

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Wednesday 12 August

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Thursday 13 August

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Friday 14 August

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Saturday 15 August

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Sunday 16 August

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Sporting platforms do not just produce gruelling contests; they also generate off-the-field stories that are revered for decades. One such story was shared by Indian boxer Narender Berwal, who returned from the Commonwealth Games with a silver medal. During a felicitation ceremony at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence, Berwal shared an anecdote from 2015, when he fought a boxer from Pakistan in the World Military Games. After Berwal won the match, he engaged in a hilarious conversation with his Pakistani opponent. As he recounted the exchange, even PM Modi was left in splits.

Political relations between India and Pakistan have been tense for decades. Narrating the story, Berwal revealed how he was cautioned by the Indian military not to lose against his opponent, given the ongoing border conflicts between the two nations.

“Since we were talking about Pakistan, a story came to my mind, sir. It was the 2015 World Military Games, and my first fight was scheduled against a boxer from Pakistan. Because it was the Military Games, I received calls from officials telling me, ‘You must not lose to Pakistan,’” he revealed.

Berwal went on to win the bout, but both fighters suffered facial cuts, which led to them visiting a hospital together.

“I won the first round 4-1 and the second round 3-2, but both of us got cuts. I won the fight, and afterwards, we both went to the hospital to get stitches.”

Berwal continued: “In 2014, you [referring to PM Modi] became the Prime Minister for the first time. The army coach who was with us was named Narendra Rana. The Pakistani boxer thought about it for a while and then said to me, ‘Brother, can I say something?’ I said, ‘Yes, go ahead.’”

#WATCH | “Pakistani boxer said to me ‘Aapka naam Narender hai, aapke coach ka naam Narender hai, aapke Pradhan Mantri ka naam Narendra hai. Mujhe Narendra naam se nafrat ho gayi hai’…” says Heavyweight boxer and silver medallist Narender Berwal narrating his conversation with a… pic.twitter.com/qvmwO5D2sz

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— ANI (@ANI) August 10, 2026

The Pakistani boxer then remarked: “Aapka naam Narender hai, aapke coach ka naam Narender hai, aapke Pradhan Mantri ka naam Narendra hai. Mujhe Narendra naam se nafrat ho gayi hai” (“Your name is Narender, your coach’s name is Narender, and your Prime Minister’s name is Narendra. I have started to hate the name Narendra”). As Berwal shared the story, PM Modi could not hold back his laughter.

At his residence, PM Modi held one-on-one conversations with several athletes, lauding their contributions to taking India’s sporting journey to new heights.

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In football, Monaco pulled off an upset against Liverpool in a pre-season friendly, whilst Marseille beat Bilbao. Manchester City beat Atlético Madrid, whilst Arsenal lost to Dortmund. In tennis, Jannik Sinner has withdrawn from the Cincinnati tournament.