Moses Itauma came up short in his quest for greatness on Saturday, suffering the first defeat of his career. Now, one Hall of Famer has urged the 21-year-old to part ways with his training team, led by Ben Davison, blaming poor preparation for the loss.

Itauma was outclassing Filip Hrgovic early on in their vacant IBF heavyweight title bout at the weekend, looking to be too sharp and too smart for his Croatian dance partner from the get-go.

However, it soon became clear that Itauma was running out of steam and that his gas tank was inferior to the experienced underdog Hrgovic, who was able to pounce on the vulnerable youngster in round nine and close the show.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, two-division world champion Tim Bradley, who was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2023, told Itauma to ditch Davison and his coaching team for ‘not getting him ready for the fight’.

“Your team is wack. Moses Itauma, fire your damn team, they didn’t have you ready for this s**t. They didn’t have you ready mentally, they didn’t have you ready tactically, at all. Yeah, they had some technical s**t that you had to do, you could have handled that yourself, but they didn’t get you ready.

“Conditioning-wise, physically, they didn’t get you ready at all, s**t! You weren’t six rounds, you weren’t going nine rounds, you were going 12 hard rounds. People were saying, ‘oh, he is inexperienced, he has only been six rounds’, bulls**t. 

“Heavyweights get ready inside of the gym, most fighters get ready inside of the gym. When I first started doing training and boxing professionally, I’m running five to eight miles, I am going four rounds but I am building for that 12 rounds – that is how you train, you build for the long haul.” 

Bradley then went on to advise Itauma on how he should prepare moving forward, suggesting that the 21-year-old should train with four-minute rounds in order to build up his stamina.

“Adopt them four-minute rounds, bro, it will show you how to damn pace yourself. Four-minute rounds ain’t no joke, 30 seconds rest, that is what you have got to do to get your s**t ready.”

“His corner was sorry as hell too. Your preparation was trash for this fight, straight up trash, throw that s**t in the trash, bro. You need a whole new team, they failed you, you have got too many yes-men around you.”

Itauma has already requested a rematch with Hrgovic, but it seems as though the latter will instead be made to take on Cuba’s Frank Sanchez in his first defence of the heavyweight throne.

Chris Waller is hoping for a much-improved showing from Fangirl and Lindermann in the Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on Saturday.

The pair finished 10th and 9th respectively in the Winx Stakes behind stablemate Autumn Glow. While Waller was accepting of their runs in a strongly contested race, the veteran trainer suggested that the time might be nearing for the eight-year-old mare, Fangirl.

Fangirl, a four-time Group One winner, suffered her most significant defeat when she was beaten 7.4 lengths in the Winx Stakes.

“Fangirl, she’ll probably race and it’ll be a deciding run for her,” Waller commented.

“It was a strong run race and the backmarkers struggled to get into it.

“It’s a bit of a turning point for her, she owes us nothing, if she wants to race, she’ll race on but if she wants to be a mum then she’ll go be a mum.”

Lindermann, who claimed last year’s Chelmsford Stakes, managed to bounce back from a 10th place in the Winx Stakes behind Via Sistina, and Waller is expecting a sharp turnaround from the seven-year-old gelding.

“Lindermann was just at his top throughout, Hughy (Bowman) said he was just out of his comfort zone there,” Waller said.

“I think what we found on Saturday if you weren’t rock hard fit, it was a tough race.

“And that showed the class of Autumn Glow and obviously Sheza Alibi, because it showed up Aeliana, it showed up Fangirl and it showed up Lindermann, they were a bit soft but that’s a good starting point for the preparation.”

Asterix, who last competed when winning the Group 3 Tattersall’s Cup (2400m) at Eagle Farm, is also slated to join them. Waller indicated that the horse might be aimed at a Caulfield Cup campaign in Melbourne after Saturday’s run.

Lindermann is currently the second favourite for the Chelmsford Stakes, behind Ceolwulf, who finished fifth in the Winx Stakes and has been cleared to race after minor traces of blood were detected in a nostril post-race.

As the Chelmsford Stakes approaches, keen punters are checking the racing betting markets for the best odds.

Premier League clubs shattered their record of £3.1 billion ($4.2 billion) in transfer fees in one window on deadline day as Manchester City splashed out £125 million to Chelsea for Enzo Fernandez and signed Iliman Ndiaye.

City spearheaded a frantic final day of spending as they aim to arm Enzo Maresca with a squad capable of winning the Premier League for the first time in three seasons.

Fernandez, who previously thrived under Maresca at Chelsea, has been linked with a move to the Etihad for months.

But it took until the final hours before the 2200 GMT deadline for an agreement to be reportedly struck with the fee for the Argentine to match the British transfer record that Liverpool paid for Alexander Isak on the final day of the window last year.

Fernandez will form a completely revamped City midfield alongside England international Elliot Anderson and Moroccan Ayyoub Bouaddi, who themselves cost over a combined £200 million.

“He is a complete midfielder: technically gifted, hardworking, tenacious and a goalscorer,” said City’s director of football Hugo Viana.

City also added Senegal forward Ndiaye from Everton in a deal worth £65 million to bolster their forward options.

“I’ve worked my whole life for an opportunity like this,” said Ndiaye.

“To be able to write my own chapter in a story that special is the chance of a lifetime and I’m determined to grab it with both hands.”

Chelsea’s bid to replace Fernandez with Monaco‘s Lamine Camara collapsed when the French side reportedly pulled out of the deal.

The Blues did agree a £40 million deal to sign 18-year-old Honest Ahanor from Atalanta from 2027, with the Italy defender spending this season on loan at Crystal Palace.

Champions Arsenal, by contrast, had a quiet deadline day after their pursuit of Atletico Madrid‘s Julian Alvarez fizzled out.

The Gunners had been rivalling Barcelona for the Argentine’s signature, but the Spanish champions instead turned to Arsenal to fill their need for a forward with the signing of Gabriel Jesus.

“I had a chance 10 years ago and life took me in another direction, but now I can be here and it’s a dream for me,” said Jesus.

Read morePep Guardiola to step down as Manchester City manager after trophy-laden decade

Liverpool frustrated

Liverpool splashed out on France forward Bradley Barcola on Monday, spending £123 million to lure him from Paris Saint-Germain.

But the Reds’ attempts to further add to their squad look to have been frustrated with bids for Crystal Palace’s Ismaila Sarr and Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh knocked back, meaning Cody Gakpo is set to stay despite interest from City and Tottenham.

Liverpool did complete the signing of Belgian goalkeeper Lucca Brughmans, but the 18-year-old will be loaned back to Genk for the rest of the season.

Ibrahim Mbaye was another wide player linked with a move to Anfield, but he has instead joined Aston Villa for a reported £47 million.

Mbaye played 31 times in all competitions for PSG last season as the French club won the Champions League and the Ligue 1 title.

Villa also bolstered their defence by signing Southampton centre-back Taylor Harwood-Bellis in a £29 million deal.

Tottenham secured a loan move for Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk after missing out on Ndiaye and Gakpo, and a £7 million swoop for his Blues team-mate Tosin Adarabioyo.

Jack Grealish rejoined Everton on loan after his spell with David Moyes’s men last season.

Everton are still hopeful of adding United States international Folarin Balogun from Monaco.

Newcastle landed Belgium forward Matias Fernandez-Pardo from Lille in a £51 million swoop.

The Magpies, who are rebuilding following the close-season departures of Anthony Gordon, Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali, have also sent German striker Nicolas Woltemade on loan to Juventus.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

The Vikings continue to tweak the roster. Doing so now comes with the uncomfortable reality of needing to move on from some of the talent that is already under contract.

Per the official word from the team itself, some players have been added and/or retained: “The #Vikings have signed QB Max Brosmer, WR Dillon Bell, RB DeeJay Dallas and OLB Kyle Van Noy to the practice squad.” Minnesota has moved on from OT Tristan Leigh, C Gavin Gerhardt, EDGE Cam’Ron Stewart, and G Joshua Gray to clear out the needed slots on the practice squad.

The Vikings Add and Subtract 4 Players

Of those names above, edge rusher Kyle Van Noy is the headliner.

During the 2024 season, Mr. Van Noy offered the Baltimore Ravens some terrific football. His stats boast 12.5 sacks, 21 quarterback hits, and 14 tackles for loss. So, too, did Van Noy toss up 2 passes defended, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery. Seeing him get anywhere close to that production would mean the Vikings walk away very happy.

Most appear to expect the veteran to function as the EDGE3. Quite possibly, that will become reality. He’s a good ball player who is coming to Minnesota with a built-in understanding of the Brian Flores scheme due to a history together from their shared Patriots and Dolphins days.

Note, as well, the presence of Brosmer and Bell.

Max Brosmer is a depth passer who got added as an undrafted talent following the 2025 NFL Draft. Seeing him go unclaimed on waivers after getting cut isn’t a surprise given that his on-field value is negligible. He boasts more value to the Vikings than to another team.

The hope is that he’ll work toward becoming an excellent QB2 or QB3. The Vikings will employ him as the QB4.

Dillon Bell, meanwhile, appears to be somebody who will earn playing time sooner rather than later. He’s a receiver who can help on specials, most notably within a returner role but possibly as a blocker/tackler, too. Don’t be surprised if he gets elevated off the practice squad for game-day call ups.

Running back DeeJay Dallas may be new to some in Minnesota, but note that he boasts a history with GM Nolan Teasley. The runner was a 4th-Round selection by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2020 NFL Draft. He played for the Seahawks until 2023, so Teasley will be familiar with what he can do (and not do).

Since the Seattle days, Dallas has put in some work with the Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, and Jacksonville Jaguars. The Vikings are his fifth stop. He’s 27 and boasts a nice build at 5’10” and 225 pounds.

In his press conference today, Teasley mentioned that building up a roster is a long process that never fully ends. Opting to subtract four before then adding four is a reminder of that reality.

The Vikings take on the Packers in Week 1. As a minimum, look for Van Noy to dress to help with the pass rushing effort.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.

Alexandra Eala, of the Philippines, reacts during her match against Mary Stoiana, of the United States, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

There has been a lot of discussion about Alex Eala online—and the talk about her has been so polarizing.

Amid the love and adoration she has been getting, there have been questions, too, about why she gets all the attention, the big courts and a lot more perks than the many-time Grand Slam champions on the women’s tour.

The postmatch conference after she disposed of Mary Stoiana in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2, in her first match at the US Open in Flushing Meadows, New York, provided a clue—the same one that has marked her interactions with sports journalists.

A lot of the questions she was asked were about Alex Eala the person.

“I’m constantly trying to be a better person, a more intelligent, more aware person,” she said on Wednesday (Manila time) after her victory.

“And yeah, [I’m trying to] be the best version of myself,” added the Filipino star when asked about being an idol for a lot of young girls. “And I don’t think my tennis would be as good as it is now if I wasn’t the person that I am off the court and I wasn’t as open-minded or, you know, eager to learn. So I think those two go hand in hand.”

Sure, Eala fielded questions about her tennis. Early on, she discussed her service game against Stoiana.

“[L]ike I’ve been saying, the serve is just a constant effort … it’s constant work and trying to improve,” she said about the one facet of her game that always comes under intense scrutiny. “I’m always trying to improve something. So I’m happy with how I served today. Hopefully, hopefully we’re going up or maintaining the level in the next couple of matches.”

She also talked briefly about her next opponent, Oleksandra Oliynykova of Ukraine, who beat her on clay during their first meeting last May in the Strasbourg Open in France.

“There are a lot of things that I could have done better [against her],” the world No. 18 said. “I think I’ve developed a lot in those months. So yeah, all I can do is go into that match with the same mindset as today … or even better than the mindset I’ve been having these past couple of weeks, and try to do my best.”

But even as the tennis talk continued, there was a palpable effort by journalists to peel away the layers of Eala’s mystique in an effort to find what exactly makes her click among her fans and how she handles the rapid rise of her popularity. “I’m still so young, so I have so much to learn when it comes to managing, you know, there’s so much I feel I’m going to experience and so many challenges I’ve yet to encounter,” said the 21-year-old ace. “I don’t know, it feels like just yesterday that I was dreaming to be on [the Louis] Armstrong [Stadium], for example, or dreaming to play against the players that I’ve been playing against.”

“I just think it would be such a shame if I didn’t do my best to enjoy.”

Eala returns to the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center on Thursday for her second match, where she is expected to have another strong crowd support as she did against Stoiana.

And Eala will never get tired of basking in the love she is shown, no matter what opinions people have online.

Does Nolan Teasley think that J.J. McCarthy is going to be on the Vikings’ roster in Week 1? His answer: “I do.”

A man of few words.

Earlier today, the Vikings’ GM chatted with the Minnesota media. Doing so allowed the newcomer in the front office to peel back the curtain on identifying talent, his view on the importance of the practice squad, and the impact of the young fellas. So, too, did get hit with several questions about the Vikings’ passer situation.

The Vikings’ GM is Direct Yet Vague on J.J. McCarthy

In his debut preseason game back in 2024, J.J. McCarthy shined. It’s been downhill since.

After that Raiders game in August of 2024, McCarthy discovered he had a season-ending knee injury. He then recovered and became the full-time starter in 2025. His issues, though, were multiple. Most prominently, McCarthy has various other ailments come up. Worse yet, his on-field play was poor, to say the least. Part of what made all of that extra painful is that Sam Darnold led Seattle to the Super Bowl.

Minnesota responded in a few ways. For starters, the GM who drafted J.J. McCarthy — Kwesi Adofo-Mensah — got canned. The fill-in GM — cap wizard Rob Brzezinski — then signed Kyler Murray for a mere $1.3 million. Murray has been the starter for several weeks now. He’ll be given every opportunity to fully solidify the Vikings’ QB1 job for the 2026 season and onward from there.

Where does that leave J.J. McCarthy? That’s reasonably uncertain.

Mr. Teasley isn’t nearly as chatty as his predecessor. Nor, for that matter, is he anywhere as close to as talkative as Kevin O’Connell. Maybe that’s a good thing even if it makes the media’s job a little more difficult.

How does he understand McCarthy’s job? “To continue to develop, to improve, and to support his teammates.”

Does the Vikings’ GM think that McCarthy is going to be on the roster in Week 1? “I do.”

Is he the main backup? “I wouldn’t really necessarily comment on depth.”

Is McCarthy healthy? “He’s practiced fully the last two days.”

Have teams been calling about trading for McCarthy? “That’s something I’ll probably keep internal. We get calls all the time.”

Teasley, in short, knows how to keep his answers short. In a lot of these moments, he offered some more words but not a ton that is too revealing. In fact, Teasley’s final answer was about the passer, noting that “he has the hardest job in sport, he’s only started ten games, and his story is not written.”

Getting Nolan Teasley to offer a bold, juicy quote isn’t going to be easy. His tendency appears to involve being restrained in his optimism while being avoidant with some political answers.

Best guess on this end of the internet is that McCarthy will be the top backup rolling into Week 1. But, to be sure, reasonable minds can disagree on that take. Carson Wentz is a rock-solid, tough game manager who has a history of playing strong football. Better yet, the veteran arm has a nice rapport with Justin Jefferson, so there’s something to be said for bumping the veteran up to that QB2 role.

Kevin O’Connell is going to get the final call on the passer hierarchy. He wasn’t available to the media alongside Teasley.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.

When the Austrian women’s national ice hockey team took to the ice in the Women’s European Cup of Nations in Slovakia in August, they did so without 11 of their top players.

Captain Anna Meixner and the rest of her team were frustrated that the Austrian Ice Hockey Association (ÖEHV) still hadn’t responded to a list of grievances outlined in a letter to the organization last March. Meixner stresses that the players only went public with their complaints as something of a last resort.

Among the nine complaints on their list of demands were the standard of accommodation, having to change in unheated dressing rooms in the winter and not being paid per diems during training camps and international tournaments. They also said they had to make do with hand-me-down equipment from the men’s team.

“We really tried to respect the federation (ÖEHV) and we really tried to solve it from within, without outside noise,” Meixner told DW in a Zoom interview on Wednesday.

“So we had been fighting for four or five months without going out to the newspapers. But when we realized that nothing had changed, we had to take the next step.”

“The final straw, if you want to call it that, was a camp last February. It was the no-heater-in-the-locker-room situation,” said the 32-year-old forward, who, after two seasons in North America’s PWHL (Professional Women’s Hockey League)  with the Ottawa Charge and Vancouver Goldeneyes, is returning to her previous team, Swedish outfit Brynas, for 2026-27.

“Here were people that had been sitting on a train for 14 hours, who didn’t get food when they arrived. We had to go on the ice straight away. So, I think that was when it really became clear to us that enough is enough.”

Fighting for future generations of women in hockey

Meixner also stressed that their aim was primarily to improve things for the women’s national team in the longer term.

“We have this older generation right now and we’re not going to play for the national team forever. We really felt it’s time to give the next generation everything that we didn’t have over the last 10 to 15 years. We brought it up with the team and everybody was on board right away.”

Advertisement

To rachet up the pressure on the ÖEHV, the players also threatened to boycott the Women’s Ice Hockey World Championship in Denmark in November ― a significant moment, as this is the first time Austria have qualified for the top IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) tournament.

“Going to the newspapers,” as Meixner put it, seems to have worked.

In a press release following last month’s tournament in Slovakia, in which Austria came second out of the four teams, the ÖEHV said it had taken the opportunity to hold “constructive conversations” with the players.

Now, Meixner appears cautiously optimistic.

Demands starting to be met

“We have gotten some answers from the federation and we are just in the process of going over everything. But now, we’re happy about the direction things seem to be moving in,” said Meixner, who added that the players and federation were finally speaking on an equal footing. 

Advertisement

“It feels like they [the ÖEHV] actually want to change something. If it stays that way, I’m sure we can figure something out and make it work. Because obviously the last thing we want to do is to miss the World Championship.”

Indeed, in a letter to the team sent on August 31, the ÖEHV responded to each of their nine demands outlining specific steps that had either already been implemented or were in the works.

These include a pledge to implement “clear regulations regarding per diems/remuneration and the timely payment of bonuses and travel expenses,” to provide “adequate accommodation and reliable, needs-based catering” for training camps, “adequate cabin and gym facilities” as well as “sufficient time for travel and recovery.”

Advertisement

Battling for ‘bare minimums’

It also notes that it would seek a “teamwear solution” as part of a new contract with the association’s equipment provider.

While this all seems promising, Meixner still finds it frustrating that in 2026, she and her teammates have had to battle so hard for what she termed “bare minimums.”

At the same time though, she said that if the players and the ÖEHV do actually manage to put aside their dispute, it will be bigger than everything she has achieved on the ice ― including winning the tournament in China last year that put Austria through to a first Women’s Ice Hockey Championship.

“I’m unbelievably proud of us for staying hard at it for many months. There are so many girls from other nations reaching out saying, ‘you know what? It’s great that you’re doing that and we should do the same,’” she said. 

“We’ve heard the men’s team stepping up, cheering for us. I think this is bigger than hockey. Hopefully this will be a big step for Austrian women’s sports and Austrian women in general.”

Advertisement

Unless an unforeseen hitch arises over the next few weeks, Austria will open their first-ever World Championship campaign against Czechia in Esbjerg, Denmark on November 6.

Mathias Brück contributed to this report.

Edited by: Matt Pearson