Anthony Joshua has been accused of lacking any real punch resistance as he inches closer towards a long-awaited Battle of Britain with Tyson Fury.

The 36-year-old was supposed to complete Saturday’s warm-up assignment with relative ease, only to suffer two knockdowns in the opening round against Kristian Prenga.

On paper, it was difficult to give the Albanian even a puncher’s chance against Joshua, who has faced a far superior level of opposition throughout his career.

After just 20 seconds of their heavyweight contest in Saudi Arabia, though, ‘AJ’ appeared to be staring down the barrel of a stunning stoppage defeat.

It was a right uppercut, in fact, that contributed to the first knockdown, with Prenga then flooring his man again in a truly dramatic series of events.

Yet despite enduring a nightmare start, Joshua managed to regain his senses and seemingly entered round two with a renewed confidence.

This ultimately saw him drop Prenga and finish his dinner in the same round, keeping himself in pole position for a lucrative Fury showdown later this year.

Sharing his immediate reaction via social media, though, top British trainer Dave Coldwell, who led Tony Bellew to cruiserweight world honours, insisted that the 36-year-old is far removed from his prime.

“Joshua is without a doubt shot to bits. Punch resistance looks completely gone. Last thing a fighter loses is his punch and that’s what got him out of jail tonight.”

While Joshua was made to survive two knockdowns, Fury’s warm-up fight against the 46-year-old Mariusz Wach – which resulted in a seventh-round finish on Friday – seemed rather plain sailing in comparison.

Errol Spence Jr announced his retirement from the sport of boxing following a unanimous decision defeat to Tim Tszyu. Terence Crawford gave his immediate thoughts on the decision from ringside.

This weekend in Sydney, Australia, Spence returned after three years of inactivity off the back of his 2023 loss to Crawford to face Tszyu. Though the former unified welterweight champion lasted the full twelve rounds and made the fight competitive in the beginning, Tszyu was far more effective down the stretch and won a wide decision on the cards.

Spence looked vulnerable when under pressure and far from his prime. Post-fight, he confirmed that he would be hanging up the gloves at the age of 36 and with a record of 28-2, 22 KOs.

“I’ve got my faculties intact. My money is good, it’s working for itself. Everything’s good. I’ve got a beautiful family. I thank God that I’m gracious enough to leave this sport with my faculties intact and my family still by my side.

“I asked a lot of questions of myself. Now it’s time to go home with my family and start a new life.”

In the aftermath, Crawford was asked by Fight Hub TV if he felt Spence had made the right decision.

“Yeah. He’s been in a lot of wars. With his fighting style – come forward, take some punishment, dish some punishment and try to break somebody down – that type of style only goes so far … Like I said, he was off-balance. He just didn’t have it tonight.”

Crawford dealt Spence the first defeat of his career when they clashed for the undisputed welterweight world title, three years on from a near-fatal car crash that left his future in the sport up in the air.

Worcestershire appeared to be cruising towards victory when Hampshire, chasing 308, needed 48 runs to win with 21 balls remaining and one wicket in hand.

Some big hitting from Andrew Neal took Hampshire to the brink of an astonishing success but, requiring five more off the final three balls, he edged spinner Fateh Singh behind to fall for 48 off 22 balls.

The late drama at New Road was in sharp contrast to events earlier in the day at Radlett, where Middlesex made short work of Glamorgan’s batting line-up.

Naavya Sharma (4-29), Toby Roland-Jones (3-35) and Noah Cornwell (3-1) were the only three bowlers used as Glamorgan, who were 44-1, lost their final nine wickets for 22 runs.

Josh de Caires hit 10 fours in his 45 not out as the hosts completed victory within three hours of the match starting.

At Hove, an early rain shower meant a slightly reduced match of 48 overs per side.

Opener Will Luxton made 117 in Yorkshire’s 325-7 and Coad’s four wickets with the new ball left Sussex on 21-5 as they chased a revised target of 325.

Coad ended with 5-12 from seven overs as Sussex were bowled out for 140 to lose by 184 runs on the Duckworth-Lewis (DLS) method.

Essex beat Derbyshire by nine runs at Chelmsford in the other match in Group B, with both captains leading their sides’ respective batting causes.

Westley, making his 500th career appearance in all formats, scored 102 off 97 balls in the hosts’ 257-7.

Harry Came (97) shared an opening stand of 113 with Martin Andersson but the match looked in the balance when Derbyshire needed 100 more with five wickets in hand.

Charlie Bennett (3-32) broke a seventh-wicket partnership worth 45 between Ross Whiteley and Nick Potts, which proved crucial.

Tadej Pogačar has done it again. The Slovenian cyclist has won the Tour de France for the third consecutive year. He’s won the race five times in his career.

Pogačar has now tied France’s Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault, Eddy Merckx of Belgium and Spain’s Miguel Indurain for most Tour de France championships at five. Indurain remains the only cyclist to win the race five consecutive times, from 1991 to 1995.

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(Lance Armstrong won seven straight Tours de France from 1999 to 2005, but the International Cycling Union stripped him of those titles in 2012 due to alleged use of illegal performance-enhancing drugs, blood transfusions and schemes to deceive testing authorities.)

In the ATC Thank You Stable Staff Handicap (1800m) at Randwick, the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Sly Boots initially took a commanding lead, only to be challenged strongly by Perfect Justice who surged down the centre of the track.

Adrian Bott, co-trainer of Sly Boots, confessed to moments of doubt as Perfect Justice closed the gap.

“I thought that the other horse (Perfect Justice) was going to go straight past us,” Bott said. “But to Sly Boots’ credit he really dug deep and found a way to win. He’s been up a while but has been racing very consistently without winning so he deserved to win this today.”

Sly Boots, the $4.80 second favourite, ridden by Rachel King, held off a determined Perfect Justice ($4.20) by a half-neck. The race favourite, Trapalanda ($3.50), finished a further three-quarters of a length behind in third.

Jockey Rachel King also had concerns as Perfect Justice made his move.

“But Sly Boots saw him coming and he raised another effort,” King said. “I think the drier track helped and he really wanted to win today.”

Bott indicated that immediate plans for Sly Boots were undecided. The gelding has now amassed five wins and seven placings from 27 career starts, with his earnings exceeding $400,000.

“We might look at a similar type of race in the next couple of weeks,” Bott said.

Perfect Justice, trained by John Sargent, continued his consistent winter form. This was his third second placing from his past four starts, with his only win in that period being a Midway event over 1600m where he narrowly defeated The Mona Lisa.

Excuses for Perfect Justice are scarce, although the gelding did sweep wide on the turn and embark on a long sustained run. In contrast, the winner benefited from saving ground by angling back towards the inside rail, a tactical advantage that likely proved critical given the slender margin separating the two competitors.

Place your bets on the next Randwick race with Australia’s top betting sites.

The San Francisco 49ers have officially reported to training camp but will begin building the foundation for the 2026 campaign with their head coach limited. The team announced in a statement Saturday that Kyle Shanahan was involved in a car accident last week and suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Shanahan, 46, will still participate in team activities, but on a limited basis. Assistant head coach Chris Foerster and the team coordinators will handle the bulk of the head coach duties while Shanahan recuperates. In a press conference on Saturday, 49ers general manager John Lynch told reporters that he does not expect Shanahan to miss Week 1 of the regular season. 

Here is the full official statement from the 49ers:

“San Francisco 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan was involved in a car accident last week where he suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Coach Shanahan will participate in team activities on a limited basis at the start of training camp while he recovers. Coach Shanahan and the 49ers organization would like to sincerely thank all first responders involved for their efforts and care.

Assistant Head Coach Chris Foerster along with team coordinators will handle head coach responsibilities during this period.”

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The accident occurred July 14 when Shanahan collided with an SUV near his Northern California home, per ESPN. While the injuries weren’t life-threatening, they were significant. ESPN reported that Shanahan broke his nose, three ribs and his hand, suffered a severe concussion and needed more than 40 stitches to his face.

Shanahan was taken by paramedics to a local hospital and released later that day. The other driver was not injured, according to Palo Alto Lt. Nicholas Martinez. He also told ESPN that drugs and alcohol were not involved, and both drivers cooperated with law enforcement.

Since the crash, Shanahan has been recovering at home and informed the coaching staff of the incident on Tuesday. He has yet to be cleared by doctors for full coaching duties and won’t be until his concussion symptoms subside.

Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay, who worked with Shanahan when they were assistants in Washington, said he’s spoken to the 49ers coach since the car accident. McVay, a fellow NFC West coach, said Shanahan has a great perspective on the accident and on his recovery. 

“I have talked to him. My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family, and I know he’s got an incredible perspective on it all. And Kyle’s a stud. I have as much respect for him as anybody and he’s a friend of mine, and I love him and hope that he’s going to have a great recovery,” McVay said.

McVay expressed gratitude that the accident didn’t have a worse outcome and noted that Shanahan’s approach to his recovery is similar to how coaches run a team.

“Most importantly, thank God he and the other person involved are okay. Perspective is everything. We talk about that all the time as coaches, and everybody goes through different things,” McVay said. “I think the most important thing is that he’s on the road to recovery. His wife Mandy, and he’s got a beautiful family, and I think any time that something like that happens, it shakes you up a little bit.”

Shanahan is entering his 10th season as the 49ers’ head coach. Since being hired in 2017, he has become one of the league’s top coaches, compiling an 82-67 (.550) regular-season record and a 9-5 playoff mark. Under his leadership, San Francisco has made two Super Bowl appearances and is coming off a 12-5 regular-season campaign in 2025 that ended with a divisional-round loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.

Former NFL passer Chase Daniel is now working as an analyst.

The long-time journeyman will be as qualified as essentially anyone to comment on the intricacies of the position. After all, Daniel soaked up a ton of coaching across the NFL, a workplace where he operated from 2009-2022. Better yet, Daniel worked alongside some of the great passers in recent NFL history. Very few know more about the position than him.

Consider the teams he played for within his time as a player: Washington Commanders, New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, and Los Angeles Chargers.

Nobody thinks he was as talented as Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, or Patrick Mahomes. He nevertheless had an ability to stick around as a passer as somebody with more NFL addresses than a cat has lives.

In the above video, Chase Daniel offers some nice praise to J.J. McCarthy despite the poor mechanics.

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In particular, note the placement of the ball, something that Daniel discusses. To my eye, McCarthy could have done a hair better by putting the ball slightly closer to the middle of the field, but that’s a very minor quibble. The kid did a great job on that one.

As the former NFL passer indicates, the form still wasn’t perfect. Chase Daniel notes the leg kicking up, robbing the young fella of the power he could generate. How much more accurate could McCarthy be with his feet underneath him?

The Vikings’ young fellas arrive at TCO Performance Center today. The nine-person draft class will be joined by a pile of undrafted players. In a couple of days, the rest of the team will arrive, meaning Vikings football really gets cooking on July 28th.

J.J. McCarthy, 23, is considered an underdog to remain as the QB1.

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

Tim Tszyu defeated Errol Spence Jr in Sydney, Australia, this weekend, prompting the American to announce his retirement from boxing.

Spence ended three years of inactivity to return at middleweight, but looked a shadow of his former self as he bravely lasted the full 12 rounds in a wide unanimous decision defeat.

Tszyu gradually took control, using his size and steady pressure to wear Spence down over the course of the contest. After the fight, the 36-year-old from Dallas, Texas, confirmed his retirement, thanking fans and saying he felt fortunate to leave the sport with his “faculties intact”.

“I’ve got my faculties intact. My money is good at working for itself. Everything’s good, man.

“I’ve got a beautiful family, and I thank God I’m gracious to leave this sport with my faculties intact and my family still by my side.”

Speaking after the fight, Tszyu revealed he took the opportunity to ask the “legend” Spence for some advice before the pair went their separate ways.

“Yeah, I spoke to him. Look, he’s a legend of the game. I actually asked him what’s one tip that you would give? He goes, ‘stay patient, when you’re not rushing in, you’re very dangerous. When you wait, you’re a very good counter puncher, and you’ve got very fast hands, very reactive.’”

Tszyu confirmed he now intends to remain at middleweight after feeling the benefits of competing without a gruelling cut to 154lbs. While a world title is now firmly in his sights, the Australian admitted defeating a fighter of Spence’s calibre may ultimately stand as the finest win of his career.

“I had sleepless nights thinking about, ‘What am I going to feel like facing a legend like that?’ But it was one hell of a show, and I understand why he’s one of the greats.

“I’d love to fight for a title. That’s what I’m aiming for. But I’ve got to say beating a great like Errol Spence tops a world title.”

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