On Saturday, Anthony Joshua left fight fans with their hearts in their mouths in a dramatic five-minute shootout before registering a stoppage win against Kristian Prenga, and fellow British heavyweight Derek Chisora has offered his thoughts on the performance of ‘AJ’.

Joshua had been expected to make easy work of Albania’s Prenga, but the 35-year-old underdog proved to be anything but for the two-time heavyweight ruler. Instead, it was Prenga who started fast and twice floored Joshua in a sensational opening round.

What Joshua appeared to lack in punch resistance he made up for in mental resilience as he bounced back in round two and caught Prenga clean to close the show and remove concerns of an almighty upset.

Speaking to Seconds Out, Chisora said that Joshua was ‘sleeping’ when he stepped through the ropes and criticised the London 2012 Olympic gold medallist for not using his jab.

“He decided to go in there without using his jab and he got laid out. There is no two ways about it, he got hit.

“It doesn’t matter how big you are, if someone hits you at the right time, in the right spot, you are going down. Heavyweight, non-heavyweight, it don’t matter, it is lights out.

“He came into the ring sleeping and then he woke the f**k up, that is it. That dude was asleep.”

That display has led to doubts as to whether Joshua could hold a shot from Tyson Fury, who registered a second victory of the calendar when he overcame Mariusz Wach on Friday.

Chisora remains unconcerned though, admitting that he was impressed by Joshua once he had settled into the contest against Prenga.

“I don’t give a f**k [about Joshua’s punch resistance], I just want him to fight Tyson Fury. All of this nonsense [about punch resistance], you guys are not doctors, we are not doctors, we can’t say [anything about] punch resistance or that he is done.

“He is the only guy who can decide for himself if he is done and he looks good when he gets his hands going.”

Fury-Joshua is expected to take place in November, with Madison Square Garden in New York City believed to be the current frontrunner to stage the long-awaited clash.

Naoya Inoue has been linked to a fascinating showdown with pound-for-pound rival Jesse Rodriguez in recent weeks, but it seems as though the meeting is far from guaranteed, with Inoue stating that he is not ‘obsessed’ with facing the Texan.

Inoue defended his undisputed super-bantamweight world title for the seventh time when he scored a legendary win over fellow Japanese sensation Junto Nakatani back in May, in what many believe to be the biggest fight in the nation’s long and proud history of boxing.

That victory sparked rumours of an early 2027 clash with ‘Bam’ Rodriguez, who vacated all three of his super-flyweight world titles to move closer to Inoue and up to bantamweight, where he then dethroned WBA champion Antonio Vargas a few weeks later.

However, in the aftermath of the Vargas win, Rodriguez and his trainer Robert Garcia admitted that they are planning to have one more outing at 118lbs before stepping up and challenging Inoue at 122lbs.

A unification between Rodriguez and WBO bantamweight world champion Christian Medina is now being touted for either November or December.

Upon hearing those rumours, Inoue has revealed that he is unwilling to further delay a fight with Rodriguez and threatened to move on from the proposal and up to featherweight, if it does not take place when he wishes, as per Sanspo.

“I can’t do it [fight Rodriguez] later [than February].”

“No, I’m not particular about Bam either. If Bam says, ‘I want to spend a little more [time] at bantamweight’, I’m already thinking about the featherweight challenge. 

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“If I can do it [fight Bam] around February, I will do it. However, if you go beyond that and get a little longer, I don’t have to be that obsessed with Bam, and I am not obsessed. I will go my own way,”

Inoue’s words may cause Eddie Hearn to rethink plans to stage Rodriguez-Medina at the end of the year, with a potential two month turnaround sure to prove too short for the American star.

Manchester United are interested in signing Aurelien Tchouameni this summer as Michael Carrick looks to strengthen his midfield as he starts the season in charge at Old Trafford for the first time

Real Madrid may be rubbing their hands together after tying Aurelien Tchouameni to a three-year contract extension. The Spanish giants made the move, in part, because they did not believe that Manchester City star Rodri was available, but now it could simply leave them in the position to command a significant fee for the Frenchman.

Los Blancos offered Tchouameni a better salary to tie him down, but in order to make a significant incoming transfer, are required to make a significant sale, per the National. The agreed contract extension warded off any danger of losing the former Monaco star for free in the near future.

The Manchester Evening News understands that United ran background checks on Tchouameni a number of months ago and are interested in a deal if he becomes available. It may be cross-city rivals City that have a decisive role in any successful move by Old Trafford chiefs for the 26-year-old’s signature, however.

Reportedly, Real Madrid believe that Rodri could be available, though they are looking at multiple transfer deals. City are understood to be unwilling to sell the Spanish midfielder for the moment, meaning uncertainty over Jose Mourinho’s midfield and Tchouameni could persist.

Michael Carrick has already added two central midfielders to his squad this summer. Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans have been added to a group that includes Kobbie Mainoo and more attacking options in Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount.

There were good signs from Andrey on his first one. He’s getting in the rhythm and feel of it again, so it was good to see him in a red shirt,” Carrick explained following the Brazilian’s pre-season debut against Wrexham.

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At City, Enzo Maresca has said Rodri would ‘be back with us’ and that he wasn’t worried by the transfer talk surrounding his star midfielder. The Ballon d’Or contender has been offered fresh terms by the club ahead of his contract expiring next summer.

After losing Bernardo Silva, City have already added Elliot Anderson for £116million, and are interested in Lille star Ayyoub Bouaddi. It remains to be seen how that interplays with Rodri’s future.

A move for Tchouameni could also be foiled if Vinicius Junior moves to Arsenal. Real Madrid have yet to agree a new contract for the winger and the Gunners are prepared to make a significant deal to sign him, meaning that Los Blancos may not be required to make a second lofty sale to bring in cash.

United have also been linked to Roma and France midfielder Manu Kone, Bournemouth star Alex Scott and Brighton’s Alex Scott.

Former Manchester United striker Danny Welbeck could be on the move this summer after enjoying a brilliant season which saw him help Brighton qualify for Europe again

Rio Ferdinand has urged Danny Welbeck to snub Chelsea in favour of a sensational return to Manchester United. The United academy graduate is in dialogue with the Blues this summer as Xabi Alonso looks to bolster his attacking options at Stamford Bridge.

Our sister title football.london understands that club-to-club negotiations have begun between Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion, with a view to the centre-forward arriving in west London ahead of the new season. The 35-year-old rolled back the years with Brighton last term.

The former United and England striker bagged 14 goals and two assists across all competitions for Fabian Hurzeler’s men to help them qualify for the Europa Conference League. And despite Chelsea not being involved in any European competition next term, it is understood that personal terms will not be a problem and he could very well be pulling on a Blues jersey come August.

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The surprise developments on Monday have led to Ferdinand, who shared a dressing room with Welbeck at Old Trafford, to plead with United to step in. The former centre-back has pointed out that Michael Carrick’s side will be able to offer Champions League football – unlike Alonso’s team.

Posting on X, he said: “Welbs…. Ignore + come back home! Champions League football next season in Manchester.”

Welbeck made his Premier League debut for United as a 17-year-old, scoring in 2008 during Sir Alex Ferguson‘s tenure. After gaining experience during several loan stints, he was fully integrated into the first team under Ferguson and also bagged nine league goals from just 25 appearances during David Moyes’ single season at the helm.

The appointment of Louis van Gaal in the summer of 2014 signalled a new chapter for the club and it panned out better for some players than for others. While some of his colleagues thrived, it did not take long for Welbeck to realise that his future lay elsewhere.

The forward had grown frustrated during Moyes’ reign, frequently forced to play on the left wing where he didn’t feel he could show his best qualities. It soon also became clear that, were he to assume a central striker role under Van Gaal, it wouldn’t be as the manager’s top choice, having not been named in any of his first three starting line-ups in the league.

He went on to join Premier League rivals Arsenal in August 2014 where he scored 32 goals in 126 appearances – winning two FA Cups under the guidance of Arsene Wenger.

And Welbeck admitted in November 2014, via the Mirror, that his decision to leave United was one he had contemplated for at least 12 months before the move to north London happened.

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He said: “When you’ve been somewhere for so long and then you’re going to start a new chapter in your career, you’ve got to think about it a lot. Over the past year or so, I started to think about what’s best for me.

“At the time I was playing on the left wing a lot and in a 4–4-2, which is very difficult for me because I can’t make an impact on the game. I can play it to the best of my ability but that’s not best for the team, and I could make a bigger impact playing in my preferred position.

“You start to have thoughts but at that time you’re still going to training and I was still giving 100 per cent and giving my all in every single game – that’s just me, I’m not going to change that. But you do start to think about what’s best for you.”

Welbeck went on to spend a season at Watford in 2019/20 before joining Brighton, where he has largely excelled ever since.

FC Copenhagen welcome Ukrainian side Polissya Zhytomyr to Parken Stadium in Denmark for the second leg of their UEFA Conference League second qualifying round tie on Wednesday. The first leg at the Kosicka futbalova arena in Slovakia ended 3-3 last Thursday.

The six-goal thriller saw a double from Robert and a goal courtesy of Mads Emil Madsen for Copenhagen, while Polissya’s goals came from Oleksandr Filippov, Oleg Fedor, and Igor Krasnopir. That result leaves it all to play for in this second leg.

FC Copenhagen sealed their place in the UEFA Conference League second round of qualifying by beating rivals Brondby 3-1 in extra time to win a domestic European playoff match in May.

Byens Hold kicked off the new Superliga season this past weekend, beginning with a 3-2 home win against Lyngby to get the first three points on the board. Now, their focus will be on finishing the job they started in Slovakia last week.

Meanwhile, Polissya Zhytomyr came third in last season’s Ukrainian Premier League table with 59 points from 30 games to earn their spot in the UEFA Conference League qualifiers.

In preparation for the Conference League qualifiers and the new Ukrainian Premier League season, The Wolves have played numerous friendlies against the likes of Tirol, Viktoria Plzen, Jagiellonia, and Sabah, but their results have been mixed, with three losses, three wins, and a draw in their seven friendlies since 29 June.

The winning team in this two-legged tie will advance to the third qualifying round, while the losing side are completely knocked out of European competition.

FC Copenhagen vs Polissya Zhytomyr head-to-head stats and key numbers

• This second leg will be only the second time that FC Copenhagen and Polissya Zhytomyr have faced each other.
• FC Copenhagen have recorded three wins and two draws in their most recent five games across all competitions.
• Polissya Zhytomyr have lost two, drawn two, and won one of their last five matches.

FC Copenhagen vs Polissya Zhytomyr prediction

This is effectively a playoff to determine which team will continue in Europe and which will be eliminated from all UEFA competitions.

After a chaotic first leg that exposed defensive vulnerabilities on both sides, the Danish side are expected to control the tempo at home to keep Polissya from gaining the upper hand, while the Ukrainian side will likely aim to cause damage to the hosts through rapid counterattacks.

We expect FC Copenhagen to leverage their home support and the energy from their fans to secure a narrow win.

Prediction: FC Copenhagen 2-1 Polissya Zhytomyr

FC Copenhagen vs Polissya Zhytomyr betting tips

Tip 1: FC Copenhagen to win

Tip 2: FC Copenhagen to score first

Tip 3: Over 2.5 goals