Sheeran spared McKenna’s blushes by leaving his guitar at home though. It was probably for the best because the Ipswich boss admits he’s “not very good” at karaoke.

“There were no sing-songs, but the players are delighted,” said McKenna. “They know this is a win to cherish, but they also know where we want to get to as a club – winning games in the Premier League – and we know this season that’s going to be a challenge.

“It’s been a big journey to get to this point.”

After failing to earn a swift return to the Premier League following relegation in 2002, Ipswich reached the Championship play-offs just once after 2005 and were relegated to League One in 2019.

“It’s a really significant moment and a day to cherish in the recent history of the club,” McKenna said.

“You look at the journey the club has been on in the past 22 years, the ups and downs, some heights but some depths as well.

“For the supporters to see their club win in the Premier League at a fantastic club like Tottenham, in a stadium like this against a team like that, it is a massive day for them.”

Ipswich failed to make the play-offs in their first two seasons in League One and were 12th in December 2021, when McKenna was named as Paul Cook’s successor.

In his first full season the Tractor Boys were promoted as runners-up and they repeated the feat in the Championship last season.

“For us who have been involved in the journey for the past couple of years, it’s a really significant day as well,” McKenna added.

“Everyone’s delighted but I know that pretty quickly we’ll all move on to the next thing.”

AS the dust settles on the US election, America is bracing itself for another epic and unpredictable showdown.

And once again, it pits a controversial, motor-mouthed veteran against a far younger contender many predict is not cut out for the job.

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More than 60,000 fans will pile into Texas’s AT&T arena on Saturday to watch the spectacle of former heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson, 58, take on 27-year-old YouTuber Jake Paul in what critics have dubbed the biggest freak show in boxing history.

VIP ringside seats are being sold for a record £1.55million — and millions more will tune into the event which, in a groundbreaking move, is being streamed live on Netflix.

But it remains to be seen whether Paul can solve the conundrum that has seen fighters with twice his class pummelled to the canvas by the self-styled Baddest Man On The Planet.

In Tyson’s famous words: “Everyone has a plan ’til they get punched in the mouth.”

Until his retirement in 2005, the human pitbull famously won 44 of his 58 fights by knockouts.

Yet even Tyson — whose training regime includes microdosing magic mushrooms and smoking weed — can’t win against Old Father Time.

The three-decade age gap between the men is the largest in professional boxing history.

Gutsy Paul, rated a decent if inexperienced pugilist, may use his youth to give the ex-champ the runaround before delivering a knockout blow.

So is this simply a circus act or a legitimate contest in the spirit of the Marquess of Queensberry?

What’s certain is that it will be box office gold.

Rather than the usual pay per view, the fighters have signed a deal said to be around £31million each for Saturday’s early hours bout.

It is already predicted to be one of the most-viewed boxing matches of all time, and media analysts suggest it could usher in a new dawn for how live sports are consumed, with further plans to broadcast NFL and WWE events on Netflix.

Tyson is characteristically bullish ahead of the fight in Arlington, Texas.

Before Paul had his most recent and 11th fight, Iron Mike insisted: “Regardless of how old I am, this guy only has ten fights.

“If I can fight ten per cent of what I was, he only has ten fights, he couldn’t match that.”

‘Weak and flawed person’

Not everyone shares his optimism. Boxing great and promoter Barry McGuigan told a newspaper he fears Tyson will tarnish his legacy if he is remembered for “that sham of a fight with that YouTuber”.

The former featherweight, who will appear on this year’s I’m A Celebrity, added: “A 58-year-old man shouldn’t be fighting. He just shouldn’t.

“At that age your punch resistance invariably disappears. And while we see all these clips of Tyson doing the pads, that’s not real. What’s real is sparring against good-quality opposition and seeing how you look then.”

The younger man’s route to the Texas ring was as a celebrity You- Tuber whose maiden fight was a so-called white-collar boxing contest for office workers.

He has won ten of his 11 professional bouts with seven knockouts.

Nicknamed The Problem Child, Paul’s only loss was to Tommy Fury — but it was a split decision and he knocked the Love Island star down in the eighth round.

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It is a record that lends him legitimacy, though his opponents included a YouTuber, a retired basketball star and four Mixed Martial Arts fighters.

The opponents were well-picked — seven were 35 or older — and purses huge. Paul has earned tens of millions from his fights including almost £24million from the bout with Fury.

Yet Tyson has fought genuine ring legends including Larry Holmes, Michael Spinks, Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis and Frank Bruno.

In August at a press conference with Iron Mike, Paul bragged: “I’m here to make 40million dollars and knock out a legend.

“I don’t give a f* about anything else. And he’s the one that wanted it to be a pro fight. “So he’s gonna get his ass knocked out for real on a real record.”

One glamorous figure in Paul’s corner is his Dutch girlfriend Jutta Leerdam, an Olympic speed skating silver medallist who admits to more anxiety over the clash.

She told the Netflix documentary Countdown: Paul vs. Tyson: “I’m a little scared. “I think, ‘Hey, stay away from my boyfriend.’ But it’s also the sport, so I understand that.”

And when hooked up to a lie detector machine on the endless social media promo trail, Paul’s trash talk bluster disappeared. Asked if he would beat the former undisputed champion, he answered: “Yeah.”

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But the lie detector begged to differ, suggesting Paul’s cocky facade hid his real belief that he would lose.

When a clip of the test went viral, Tyson shared it with his 30million Instagram followers with three laughing emojis emblazoned on it.

The pair were originally scheduled to meet on July 20 but Tyson was taken ill two months earlier in an plane toilet after an ulcer flare-up.

On the plane, I went to the bathroom, and I threw up blood,” he revealed. “Next thing I know I’m on the floor and I was defecating tar.” In his Eighties prime, Tyson was the most destructive heavyweight of his generation.

Menacing in black trunks, black ankle-high boots and no socks, he would pace the ring before the first bell like a caged lion.

Psyching out many before a punch was thrown, he won his first 19 professional fights by knockout, 12 of them in the first round.

In 1992 he was convicted of raping 18-year-old Miss Black America contestant Desiree Washington and received a six-year prison sentence, serving less than half that time.

I’d rather live a short life of glory than a long life of obscurity.

Mike Tyson

On his release, he fought two losing fights against Evander Holyfield. In the second, Tyson sank his teeth into Holyfield’s ear, biting the fleshy top off before spitting it out on to the canvas.

Teddy Atlas, his former trainer, called Tyson “a very weak and flawed person”.

His penultimate contest — against Brit Danny Williams in 2004 — saw him unable to beat the count after being knocked down in a bloodied heap in the fourth round.

In his last professional fight in 2005, he threw in the towel against Irishman Kevin McBride before the seventh round.

Announcing his retirement afterwards, a downbeat Tyson insisted: “I’m not going to disrespect the sport any more by losing to this calibre of fighter.”

A 2020 exhibition bout against Roy Jones Jr was judged a draw. Tyson admitted he was high on marijuana during the fight, revealing afterwards: “I smoke every day.”

He credits weed for helping him beat a destructive cocaine and booze habit.

‘I’m a glutton for pain’

Asked by US TV host Jimmy Kimmel recently if he intends to be “high on marijuana” during his bout with Paul, Tyson replied: “That’s a possibility.”

Also a magic mushroom user, Tyson says he takes the psychedelics during his workouts “because I feel beautiful”.

Now he has been lured back to his beloved ring partly, at least, for the adulation. “I’m a glory junkie,” the fighter with a Maori-inspired face tattoo admitted. “I love people thinking about me all day.

“I’d rather live a short life of glory than a long life of obscurity.

“This is all I started fighting for — to get all this fing status.

“I’m going to be chasing it for the rest of my life. I know that. “I’m never going to get what I want, because I’m one of those gluttons for pain. I can never get enough.”

The giant purse might help too, with punters paying through the roof to get close to the action.

The arena’s most expensive ticket is a record $2million VIP package, which will seat two people less than six feet from the action in a private booth.

If Mike lands one clean punch, and if he makes him miss, he will make him pay.

Jeff Fenech

Further perks include the chance to visit both fighters backstage before the fight, an open bar and gourmet all-inclusive food menu, plus a personal security escort to accompany guests across the venue.

And even at 58, the allure of an Iron Mike knockout remains undimmed.

Jeff Fenech, who trained Tyson to defeats against Williams and McBride, believes the fallen champ still has what it takes to dispatch upstart Paul.

The cornerman said: “If Mike lands one clean punch, and if he makes him miss, he will make him pay. “If he doesn’t try and strike at the same time and is patient, the fight could be over in one minute.”

Thankfully — perhaps for both fighters — the rounds will be two minutes long rather than the usual three for men’s bouts.

Dad-of-seven Tyson explained: “I wanted the shorter rounds because I wanted more action. “If we only have two minutes, we’ll fight more.”

And the fighters will wear 14oz gloves rather than the usual 10oz to lend greater protection.

Neither man will wear headguards.

The prospect of a potentially stoned former heavy-hitting champ battling a rookie almost young enough to be his grandson may not warm the cockles of boxing purists.

“People say it’s s*t,” Gypsy King Tyson Fury said. “But I bet they still watch it.”

It’s been a minute since Nick Diaz had a fight, and fighters’ preparation methods always are evolving.

There’s no way to be sure that’s what’s going on here, but hell – it’s Nick Diaz. Can anyone ever be sure if there’s method to the proverbial madness?

A month out from his first fight in more than three years, and just his third in the past decade, a shirtless man who appears to be Diaz can be seen on a video on social media (H/T ParryPunch) attempting to light a piece of grass in some landscaping in front of a business.

A woman calls out to “Nick” on the video and asks if he’s OK, and he twice answers he is. We’ll let you make up your own mind if he’s right about that.

🚨NEW: A video of Nick Diaz, by himself, shirtless in public, trying to light a random piece of grass on fire has surfaced online ahead of his MMA return against Vicente Luque on Dec. 7. 👀

Thoughts on this video surfacing shortly after his fight with Luque got announced? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/lVZZuZoFb8

— Parry Punch (@ParryPunchNews) November 10, 2024

Diaz (26-10 MMA, 7-7 UFC) is scheduled to fight Vicente Luque (22-10-1 MMA, 15-6 UFC) at UFC 310 on Dec. 7 in Las Vegas. The two first were booked to fight in August, but the fight was shifted to next month.

Diaz has not won a fight since October 2011 against B.J. Penn at UFC 137. He lost three straight fights after that to Carlos Condit, Georges St-Pierre in a title fight and Anderson Silva, which later was flipped to a no contest when they both failed drug tests.

After an absence of 6.5 years, Diaz returned in 2021 and was stopped by Robbie Lawler in the third round.

It’s been about 15 years, longer than the average MMA career, since Diaz was rolling on an 11-fight winning streak against the likes of Penn, Paul Daley, KJ Noons and Scott Smith in Strikeforce. Along with his younger brother Nate, he remains a big draw in combat sports despite his inactivity.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 310.

JADE LEBOEUF went back to the couture – but was still rated a timeless beauty.

The daughter of Chelsea legend Frank shared a video montage of her changing into four outfits, each with its own set of lingerie.

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The influencer, 33, went braless for at least one of her new looks.

“You look great in anything,” typified the response from her 261,000 Instagram followers.

Jade herself said: “The right choice of lingerie can really make all the difference!”

She wore a backless black evening gown in one image from the high-speed clip.

A short dark dress, plus three trousersuits, were also included in the mix ‘n match selection.

Jade revealed each style was designed to “enhance, sculpt and give me confidence” as well as a “perfectly enhanced silhouette”.

However, one admirer claimed an olive outfits put the darker alternatives in the shade.

They revealed: “I have a little crush on the green pants.”

Her 56-year old dad was a World Cup winner in 1998 on his way to 50 caps for France.

Now fans believe Jade is representing her country just as gracefully as the former defender.

One claimed her latest photoshoot was “French glamour to perfection”.

Jade’s latest post comes a month after she unveiled glamorous pictures taken when at her “lowest emotionally”.

She explained the photos aimed to “awaken the strong woman in me”.

The fashion icon added: “I assure you that it did me a world of good to feel beautiful and sensual.

“It allowed me to reconnect with myself, with my identity, and with who I really am.”

Jade’s followers praised her honesty for that personal message.

And this time, as her words focused more on the outfits than feelings, fans responded with equal support.

“Mega elegant Jade,” said one and “too beautiful,” added many others.

Take a peak at this eye-catching array of snaps

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Daniel Cormier can’t get on board with the idea that Jon Jones is ducking Tom Aspinall.

Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) has created waves in the MMA community ahead of his scheduled heavyweight championship defense against Stipe Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) at UFC 309 on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+) by claiming he has no interest in a title unification bout with interim champ Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC), should he get his hand raised.

According to Jones, the efforts of Aspinall inside the octagon have “done nothing” to generate appeal in that matchup, and if he doesn’t retire at UFC 309, the only intriguing fight to him at this point is with light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.

Those comments have led to people claiming Jones is ducking a showdown with Aspinall. Despite his history with “Bones,” however, UFC Hall of Famer and analyst Cormier refuses to believe that notion, although he doesn’t like the line of logic his rival and former two-time opponent Jones is bringing to the table.

“‘Shogun’ (Rua) had to fight Jon Jones back in the day, ‘Rampage’ (Jackson) had to fight Jon Jones back in the day. Those guys were big names that fought him as the young guy that was the champion, and he made a name off of all those legends, so by the time I got to him, he was a legend,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “He was a legend already in 2016, 2015. He was already a legend in five years, and that was only because he had beaten all those great guys before. It really is the tale of sport, the tale of entertainment. Before Michael Jordan could become Michael Jordan, he had to go through the Detroit Pistons who were winning in the 80s. He had to beat the Boston Celtics to get to the finals, who were going back-and-forth with the Lakers. The old guard has to get passed through for the new guard to happen. So for Jon to say he’s a nobody – but is he really?

“He’s a world champion. He’s the world champ, honestly. That’s who he is. He is the No. 2 heavyweight in the world. He’s the interim champ. He’s not a guy that’s just working his way through the division. It’s a guy that has smashed the division. I think my biggest issue with that is the final statement, though. Not giving him an opportunity to make a name off me. But you’re Jon Jones. Most people would still expect him to beat Tom Aspinall, or am I wrong? Are more people expecting Tom Aspinall to beat Jones? Maybe I’m off base. Maybe the idea is that Tom Aspinall is going to beat Jon Jones?”

Cormier can’t buy into the concept Jones has fear of Aspinall, or any man, given his body of work in the sport over nearly 15 years at the top of the game. He is far more sold on the idea of risk management, though, and thinks Jones is ultimately playing a game to lure more money out of the UFC.

“Look, Jon Jones isn’t afraid of Tom Aspinall,” Cormier said. “I wish people would stop saying that. He is not afraid of that guy. He is not afraid of anyone. He is not afraid to fight this guy. He’s not. I think he’s trying to be more strategic. He’s trying to make sure his legacy stands. I don’t know it could ever be faded. I know we have short memories, but could you ever forget what he did? I don’t think him fighting Tom Aspinall with the potential he would lose is a bad thing. But most would expect him to win the fight. But at the end of the day, the old guard has to get passed through for the new guard to go. Unless you don’t play the sport by the way that everyone else does it. Everyone else does it that way. Maybe Jones will be different.

“I would believe that he is negotiating publicly. Trying to get more money, and make the UFC go, ‘I need this fight because (the fans) want it so bad.’ Then they give him a number he can’t refuse.”

Cormier said he understands why Jones would be open to fighting Pereira given the stylistic advantages his holds over the 205-pound champ. But given the existence of Aspinall, he just doesn’t like the entire optics of what’s going on.

“Yeah, Jon Jones would prefer that matchup (with Alex Pereira) because it’s much less risky than fighting Tom Aspinall,” Cormier said. “Would a Pereira vs. Jones pay-per-view sell more than Tom Aspinall? Absolutely. So financially, he does have a point. That is the biggest money fight for him with the less risk. People now know Pereira. But at the end of the day you have the (interim) heavyweight champion who is nipping at the bud, and weighing in in New York.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.