GARY ANDERSON admits his money is on Luke Littler to dominate darts.

The Flying Scotsman also revealed that he believes he’s the most naturally gifted player in the history of the sport.

2

2

Advertisement

Anderson, 53, roared into the knockout stages of the Grand Slam with a classy win over old foe Michael van Gerwen.

But on Littler, he said: “I’ve been fortunate in this world to stand on stages with Phil Taylor, Michael van Gerwen, Luke Humphries, who knows who the next one is going to be.

“Money is on Luke Littler. But the amount of players who are coming through, I think it’s going to be a hard few years for these boys.

“Ryan Joyce, Mike De Decker, Ritchie Edhouse, he was fantastic in the Europeans. There’s so many more. Luke is special but there’s a lot of these boys not far off him.

“It was like when Taylor dominated, everyone got closer and closer.

“Nobody is scared. Those days are long gone. Some players taking on Phil Taylor were beat before they even played.

“Youngsters don’t care. That’s what I like about Luke, that young age, they don’t care who it is. You get to a certain age and you start thinking.”

Anderson has one more group game against Noa-Lynn van Leuven before his last 16 clash.

CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS

But when asked whether he believes he’s the most gifted player ever in the sport, he said: “I’m going to say yes. Because I tell you I don’t practice. Nobody believes me. Stick a camera on me and follow me about for a year and we’ll see.

“I’ve played darts for 30-odd years, if you don’t know where the treble 20 is by now, take up another hobby!”

Anderson has so far failed to win the Slam, his favourite event, but believes this could be his year.

He added: “As long as I’m playing and don’t sit about. I struggle with the Europeans because it’s three matches in one day.

“This is a day at a time so hopefully I can stick in.

“Every game is the same. It doesn’t matter if I’m playing Michael van Gerwen or a 98-year-old granny in an exhibition.

“I’m there to play darts. It’s the same with the kids. I missed a nine-darter against a youngster, he ended up crying. His dad said ‘why you doing that?’ I said he’s not beating me. I ain’t losing.”

A lot of people – from fellow boxing legends, to current boxers, to pundits and media personalities, and even fans – are against Mike Tyson fighting Jake Paul. Why? Because of his age.

Tyson, who was once the most feared boxer on the planet, celebrated his most recent birthday on June 30. He was born in 1966, making him 58 years old ahead of Friday’s Netflix event at the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Even Joe Rogan, for as big a fan as he is, came out against Tyson competing – although the UFC commentator and popular podcast host can understand why the former heavyweight champ is doing it.

“I wish it wasn’t a thing,” Rogan said during an episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience” in September. “I wish it wasn’t a thing where a 58-year-old guy was going to fight a (much younger guy). That said, I fully support his desire to do it. What, is he going to live forever? No, he’s not going to live forever. Maybe he wants one more shot at it. Maybe his body can do one more fight. I don’t know.”

Paul vs. Tyson age difference

Mike Tyson and Jake Paul attend Fanatics Fest Press Conference at Javits Center on August 18, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano, Getty Images)

Paul was born January 17, 1997, making him 27. In other words, Tyson will be 31 years older than Paul when they step into the ring.

By the time Paul was born, Tyson had 47 professional fights under his belt. Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion at 20 when he beat Trevor Berbick by TKO on November 22, 1986, more than 10 years before Paul was born. Tyson’s shocking upset loss to Buster Douglas happened February 11, 1990, nearly seven years before Paul was born. Paul still wasn’t born for Tyson’s first fight with Evander Holyfield on November 9, 1996, and was barely 5 months old when Tyson infamously bit Holyfield’s ear during their rematch.

Mike Tyson health concerns

In addition to Tyson’s age, there are concerns about his general health heading into the fight with Paul. The original fight date earlier this year had to be scrapped after Tyson experienced a medical scare due to an ulcer while aboard a plane. Since then, Tyson’s health and overall condition have been scrutinzed. His agent, Andrew Ruf, last month had to quell fears of a knee injury after Tyson was seen wearing a compression sleeve in a training video.

All things considered, it’s no wonder so many prominent folks are against Tyson getting back in the ring.

For more on the fight, visit MMA Junkie’s hub for Paul vs. Tyson.

Hyundai’s revised 2025 World Rally Championship car will feature “some reasonable change” as the testing phase of upgrades continued last weekend.

The Korean manufacturer had planned to homologate a practically all-new version of its i20 N Rally1 for next year before plans were abandoned amid uncertainty over the 2025 regulations.

Following the FIA’s U-turn on 2025 technical regulations after pushback from the teams, Hyundai has been able to salvage part of its i20 N development plans courtesy of an agreement to bring forward its 2026 development jokers to be used for the 2025 campaign.

It means the team has four jokers it will utilise to complete a raft of updates to its car that are yet to be disclosed.

Hyundai has been testing its revised car in recent months, with that project continuing at last weekend’s Rally La Nucia-Mediterraneo where championship leader Thierry Neuville was evaluating some of the upgrades.

Neuville was joined by team-mate Andreas Mikkelsen, who was running s 2024 spec i20 N, as the pair also logged valuable asphalt mileage ahead of the season finale in Japan next week. Rally Japan will decide both the drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles with Neuville leading Tanak by 25 points, while Hyundai has a 15-point lead over Toyota.

Hyundai’s WRC programme manager Christian Loriaulx was tight-lipped on the details of the changes for next year’s car but hinted that there would be some significant differences.

Thierry Neuville, Martijn Wydaeghe, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1

Photo by: Fabien Dufour / Hyundai Motorsport

Advertisement

“We don’t want to say too much what we are doing for next year,” Loriaulx told Motorsport.com.

“It was a preparation for Japan for Mikkelsen and for Thierry, we are looking at some stuff for next year.

“We have submitted the homologation papers and it is still in the testing phase but for next year and 2026 we have four jokers. I would say we are looking at some reasonable change but I can’t say more.

“We are in the phase of testing it and it is quite busy as we need to prove reliability and gain performance.

“We know that what we will do will result in a good weight-saving gain but we have to work on the reliability. We have been testing it in very hard conditions and it has been reliable so far. Now we are working on the set-up and will see how it goes.”

Hyundai will once again field full-time entries for Neuville and Ott Tanak next year while its plans for its third car are expected to be announced following the Japan season finale. M-Sport’s Adrien Fourmaux has been heavily tipped to take up the drive.

Hyundai’s future in the WRC beyond 2025 is also yet to be confirmed following the brand’s move into the World Endurance Championship for 2026 under the Genesis banner.

Bernhard Langer shot lower than his age to snatch victory at the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship and extend his record of winning a title every year on the PGA Tour Champions’ circuit to 18 years.

The 67-year-old holed a 30-foot birdie putt on the final hole to card a five-under-par 66 and seal a one-stroke victory on 18 under over defending champion Steven Alker and Richard Green.

It is the 47th title Langer has won on the over-50s circuit and the first since tearing his Achilles tendon in early 2024.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Langer, who also had rounds of 69, 64 and 67 at the Phoenix Country Club in Arizona.

“To win this big tournament after what I’ve been through and to make 18 years in a row out here, it’s quite amazing. I’m very grateful, very blessed.”

Langer, a two-time Masters winner, had a five-shot lead heading into the back nine but back-to-back bogeys on the 10th and 11th saw his lead diminish.

A further bogey on the 17th, coupled with Alker making a birdie, saw the pair head down the 18th level.

Langer drove into the trees on the par-five closing hole but made a brilliant birdie to beat his age for a 22nd time and secure the win, as Alker could only make par.

A joint second finish for 53-year-old Alker was enough to pass Ernie Els and capture the season-long Charles Schwab Cup points race.

“It would have been nice to win it all, the whole lot, but I’ve got the Schwab Cup and that’s important to me,” said Alker.

TGM Grand Prix is in danger of dropping off the Super Formula grid as it struggles to find drivers with the requisite financial backing.

Team owner Kazuhiro Ikeda admitted during last weekend’s Suzuka finale that the Servus Japan-run outfit’s future in Japan’s top single-seaters hangs in the balance, amid an apparent lack of interest among international drivers bringing budgets.

With Juju Noda looking certain to leave the team, it would mean that TGM needs to find two drivers with the necessary backing to be able to commit to continuing in the series.

It’s estimated that a seat costs approximately 1.1 million euros for a season.

“Our financial situation means we have no option but to sign drivers that bring funding,” Ikeda told Motorsport.com. 

“We’ve realised that it’s very difficult to raise sponsors in Japan with Super Formula in its current format. It will be very tough to find the funds to do it all over again for a third year. 

“If that’s the case, it may be that we have to change what we are doing as a company, such as providing car maintenance [for another team] or engineering support.”

Juju, TGM Grand Prix

Photo by: Masahide Kamio

Advertisement

Should TGM drop off the grid, then it’s likely that the Super Formula grid would shrink to 19 cars, its lowest level since the 2021 season.

Ikeda clarified that TGM has until the end of November to inform series organiser JRP whether it intends to stay on the grid in 2025.

“If we can raise the funds, then we will continue, but if there is too much uncertainty, considering the health of the company, we may have to say we cannot continue,” he said.

TGM endured a difficult second season running as a fully independent team, having enjoyed Red Bull backing in 2022 when it competed under the ‘Team Goh’ banner in the first year following Servus Japan’s split with Team Mugen.

It started the season with Nobuharu Matsushita running alongside Noda, but replaced Matsushita with Honda factory driver Hiroki Otsu after the first three rounds.

Matsushita’s eighth-place finish in the opening round at Suzuka proved to be the only time the team scored points all season, leaving TGM ninth in the teams’ rankings.

Ikeda admitted this will have likely made TGM a less attractive option to prospective overseas candidates wanting to drive in Super Formula.

Nobuharu Matsushita, TGM Grand Prix

Photo by: Masahide Kamio

Advertisement

“Just like we look at a driver’s results when it comes to selecting drivers, they will also look at the team’s results to work out if they want to drive for a particular team,” he said.

Ikeda added that a lack of successful non-Japanese drivers in the series this year may have also served as a further deterrent.

“This is just my opinion, but drivers like [Theo] Pourchaire and [Nyck] de Vries coming here and having a difficult time could be something that international drivers with an interest in Super Formula have taken note of,” he said. 

“They are probably doubting whether they can really get the results if they came here.”

Real Madrid defender Eder Militao and attacker Rodrygo were substituted during the first half of their La Liga clash against Osasuna on Saturday, adding to the club’s injury woes. The happiness of Real Madrid scoring twice in the opening 45 minutes was taken away as the Brazilian duo were replaced in a gap of 10 minutes. 

Winger Rodrygo was the first to leave the pitch at Santiago Bernabeu 20 minutes into the game. The youngster, who had recently recovered from a hamstring issue, was looking sharp before being replaced by Brahim Diaz. 10 minutes later, Eder Militao also needed medical assistance. Academy recruit Raul Asencio was called in to replace Militao, who was stretchered off.

Several Real Madrid players on the pitch were visibly upset with the nature of Eder’s injury, video replays showed. Meanwhile, Rodrygo also appeared heavily disappointed on the bench despite best efforts from his teammates to console him. 

Militao’s injury is more worrying for Carlo Aneclotti’s Real Madrid, who are already without their captain and first-choice right-back Dani Carvajal. The Spaniard’s season is over after suffering a serious ACL issue earlier this season. 

David Alaba, the versatile Austrian international, is also to recover fully from an ACL tear. Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and defensive midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni are also unavailable for the defending La Liga champions, who have been second to arch-rivals Barcelona this season.

Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham scored in the 34th and 42nd minute of the game respectively to give Los Blacos a 2-0 at their home ground. Ballon d’Or runner-up Vini scored in the 61 and 69th minute of the game to complete his hat-trick. 

Unwilling to take any more risks, Ancelotti replaced both his goalscorers in the 75th minute with Endrick and Arda Guler.