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Former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua knocked out YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in their controversial Netflix-backed boxing match in Miami on Friday.

The fight at the Kaseya Centre, which saw both men reportedly splitting a mammoth purse of $184 million, had triggered alarm across boxing due to the gulf in physical size and class between Britain’s two-time former world champion Joshua and Paul, an internet personality who has forged a lucrative career through a handful of novelty boxing contests.

In the event, however, Joshua made hard work of defeating his vastly less accomplished opponent, before his superior size and power eventually told in the later stages of the eight-round fight, with a sixth-round knockout.

A lacklustre contest descended into farce at times, with Paul repeatedly dropping to the canvas and grappling with Joshua’s legs.

At one stage, even referee Christopher Young appeared to be losing patience, warning the fighters in the fourth round: “The fans did not pay to see this crap.”

As Paul tired, the 6ft 6in (1.85m) tall Joshua began to land punches with more regularity, and after knocking down the 6ft 1in American twice in the fifth round, the end came swiftly in the sixth.

Joshua backed the 28-year-old into a corner and, after teeing up Paul with a crunching left, delivered the knockout blow with a right to the chin that sent his opponent crashing to the canvas.

“It wasn’t the best performance,” Joshua, 36, admitted afterwards. “But the end goal was to get Jake Paul, pin him down and hurt him.

“That was the request leading up, and that was on my mind. It took a bit longer than expected, but the right hand finally found its destination.”

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Anthony Joshua, meanwhile, praised Jake Paul for lasting into the later rounds.

“I want to give him his props; he got up time and time again,” Joshua said. “It was difficult in there for him, but he kept on trying to find a way. It takes a real man to do that.”

Paul, meanwhile, his mouth bloodied from Joshua’s final assault, said he believed his jaw had been broken, but was satisfied with his performance.

“That was fun. I gave it my all,” Paul said. “I had a blast. I think my jaw is broken by the way. But Anthony’s one of the best to ever do it, so. I’m gonna come back and get a world championship.

“I just got tired, to be honest, like it was so much handling his weight. I think with better cardio, I could have kept it up and kept on fighting. But he hits really hard.”

Friday’s made-for-streaming contest, which came just over a year after Paul had fought a 58-year-old Mike Tyson in a much-derided Netflix fight, had been widely panned throughout boxing, with many warning that Paul risked serious injury.

Yet the devastating first or second round knockout by Joshua that most had predicted failed to materialise as Paul scrambled desperately to stay outside of the 2012 Olympic champion Joshua’s range.

Joshua, fighting for the first time in 15 months, always looked the more threatening fighter, landing 48 of 146 punches thrown compared to Paul’s meagre total of 16 punches landed.

The Briton is now turning his attention towards a money-spinning bout against compatriot and fellow former world champion Tyson Fury next year.

“We shook off the cobwebs, and I can’t wait to roll into 2026,” Joshua said. “And if Tyson Fury is as serious as he thinks he is, let’s put on some gloves and fight.”

READ: Australia four wickets from Ashes glory as England cling on

ADELAIDE: An unrelenting Australia were four wickets from retaining the Ashes at the close of play in the third Test on Saturday as England clung to a dying hope that they could chase a record 435 to save the series.

England had clawed their way to 207-6 at the end of play in Adelaide with Will Jacks on 11 and Jamie Smith two, still 228 runs from their target.

They lost big guns Zak Crawley (85), Joe Root (39), Harry Brook (30), and Ben Stokes (5) in the final session, with Nathan Lyon and Pat Cummins doing the damage.

England must win to keep the five-match series alive after being crushed by eight wickets at Perth and Brisbane. Australia, as holders, only need a draw to retain the urn.

With attendance over the first four days swelling to more than 200,000, a record for the Adelaide Oval, which has been hosting Tests since 1884, they faced a daunting task.

No team has ever chased down more than 316 at the venue, while the biggest successful run chase in Test history was 418 by the West Indies against Australia at St. Johns in 2003.

England took six wickets before lunch to wrap up Australia’s second innings for 349, with Travis Head slamming 170 and Alex Carey 72.

It left them with 10 minutes to bat before the break, but disaster struck in the second over when Ben Duckett, on four, edged Cummins to Marnus Labuschagne at second slip.

Number three, Ollie Pope, has struggled all series and was widely seen as on his last chance with Jacob Bethell waiting in the wings.

He failed to deliver again, gone for 17 with Labuschagne taking a stunning one-handed catch at full stretch in the slips, again off Cummins.

Watchful opener Crawley built a 78-run stand with Root, who needed a big score to save his side but had no answer to Cummins again.

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The Australian skipper removed him for a 13th time in Tests, more than any other bowler, with a furious Root berating himself after prodding at a full delivery and feathering to Carey.

Crawley brought up a well-deserved 50, and with an uncharacteristically subdued Brook began a rebuild before his partner badly mistimed a reverse sweep and was bowled by a classic Lyon off-break.

With the pitch deteriorating, Lyon unleashed another trademark delivery to bowl Stokes, then tempted Crawley down the wicket to be stumped by Carey, leaving England’s Ashes campaign in tatters.

Australia resumed at 271-4 with Head on 142 and Carey 52, and they feasted early on some mediocre bowling.

Stokes didn’t turn over his arm on Friday, with assistant coach Jeetan Patel saying he was “knackered” after a stoic 83 with the bat.

The England captain opened the attack on Saturday, but Head quickly got to work and reached his 150 with a boundary through backward point, earning a standing ovation from his home fans.

Targeting a maiden double-century, Head pulled a short ball from Josh Tongue with Crawley in the deep, doing well to get underneath it in glaring sun.

Carey added 20 as he set his sights on back-to-back centuries after an emotional first innings 106.

But he was taken at slip by Brook off Stokes, with Josh Inglis (10) following soon after, caught behind by Smith off Tongue.

With the new ball taken, Brook collected another slip catch to remove Cummins (6), this time off Brydon Carse, who trapped Lyon lbw next ball.

Scott Boland was the last man out, caught and bowled by Jofra Archer with Tongue taking 4-70.

READ: Amorim takes aim at Man Utd youth stars over ‘entitlement’

Ruben Amorim said provocative social media posts from two of Manchester United’s academy stars showed a damaging “feeling of entitlement” at the Premier League club.

The United boss last week said Harry Amass was “struggling” at Sheffield Wednesday, bottom of the Championship, and pointed out that Chido Obi was not always a starter in United’s under-21s.

The 18-year-olds both uploaded and subsequently deleted Instagram story posts.

Amass posted a photo of himself holding the Sheffield Wednesday’s player of the month award for November with a grinning emoji.

Obi’s post showed him with arms out celebrating a goal for the Under-21s against Manchester City in August.

But Amorim defended his direct approach at his pre-match press conference on Friday.

“I think it’s a little bit the feeling of entitlement that we have in our club,” the Portuguese said when asked if he had seen the posts.

“Sometimes strong words are not bad words. Sometimes difficult moments are not bad things for the kids. We don’t need to be always with accolades in everything, in every situation.”

The United boss called for a change of culture at the club, who are sixth in the Premier League ahead of Sunday’s visit to high-flying Aston Villa.

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“The players sometimes forget about what it means to play for Manchester United. We as a club sometimes forget who we are,” he said.

“And that’s the feeling that I have. So I understand everything. It’s the environment, it’s the moment of the players, the kids.

“They feel entitled. They feel free to respond the manager with a picture.”

Amorim said his office door was open if players wanted to discuss issues.

“Nobody is coming to talk to me,” he said. “And that is the way we can solve things. So I think we need to change first as a club. And then everything is going to change.”

The United boss was also asked about a T-shirt worn by Kobbie Mainoo’s half-brother earlier this week that carried the message “Free Kobbie Mainoo”.

England international Mainoo, 20, is still waiting for his first Premier League start of the season, with his lack of game time a major talking point.

“It was not Kobbie who wore the T-shirt,” said Amorim. “He is not going to start because of the T-shirt but he is not going to the bench because of the T-shirt.

“He’s going to play if we feel that he is the right guy. That is not an issue.”

Brazil midfielder Casemiro is suspended for the Villa game, giving a potential opening for Mainoo.

Defenders Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire are still injured while Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo are all on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations.

READ: Pandya blitz powers India to T20 series win over South Africa

Hardik Pandya led India’s batting assault with his 16-ball 50 to set up a 30-run win over South Africa and clinch the series 3-1 in the fifth T20I on Friday.

A punishing 105-run fourth partnership between Pandya, who hammered 63 off off 25 balls, and Tilak Varma (73) swept India to 231-5 at the world’s biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad.

In reply, South Africa started strongly thanks to a 35-ball 65 by Quinton de Kock, who played his 100th T20 for the national team, but the opener’s departure triggered a collapse, and the Proteas ended on 201-8.

The win sealed India’s eighth consecutive T20 series triumph, a streak that began in December 2023.

South Africa began the tour with a stunning 2-0 triumph in the Test series, but the white-ball contests proved disappointing as they also lost the one-day series 2-1.

Pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah returned figures of 2-17, including the key wicket of De Kock, who chipped a yorker straight back to him. Spinner Varun Chakravarthy took four wickets, bowling Donovan Ferreira and George Linde.

The series was part of the build-up for the T20 World Cup, which starts in February in India and Sri Lanka.

Put into bat after the fourth match was abandoned due to fog in Lucknow, Indian openers Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma started briskly before Pandya tore into the opposition attack.

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Seam bowler Corbin Bosch cut short left-handed Abhishek’s knock on 34, and Samson fell for 37, bowled off left-arm spinner Linde.

India lost their third wicket when skipper Suryakumar Yadav got out for five to extend his lean run with the bat.

T20 specialist Suryakumar has managed just 244 runs across his last 22 innings in this format with no fifties.

Pandya walked in and smacked Bosch for a six to signal his intent with the bat, and in the next over, hammered Linde for two sixes and two fours.

The middle-order batter registered India’s second-fastest T20 fifty, behind Yuvraj Singh’s record of a 12-ball half-century in 2007.

The left-handed Varma also impressed with is clean hitting, but Pandya’s carnage that included five fours and five sixes stole the show.

Pandya finally fell to Ottneil Baartman, and Varma got run out on the penultimate ball, but the pair helped India get 116 runs from the last eight overs.

Vice-captain Shubman Gill missed the match after he injured his right foot while batting in the nets in Lucknow.

In the South African chase, De Kock’s 51-run second-wicket partnership with Dewald Brevis, who made 31 off 17 balls, gave the Proteas hope, but regular wickets and rising asking rate proved too much.

READ: England assistant coach provides update on Stokes’ fitness

England assistant coach Jeetan Patel has provided an update regarding captain Ben Stokes, stating that the all-rounder is fit to bowl for the remainder of third Ashes Test, though he remains visibly tired after a grueling day.

Stoked did not bowl an over in Australia’s second innings as the home side reached 271 for 4 at the end of the third day’s play.

The hosts had built a daunting 356-run lead, putting them firmly on course to retain the Ashes after winning the first two Tests.

Travis Head and Alex Carey finished the day with 142* and 52* runs respectively.

Ben Stokes, meanwhile, battled out five hours with 83 in England’s first innings. During his stay at the crease, he seemed to hobble and struggle with cramps under the scorching sun.

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Following this, he also spent time off the field after hitting his head on the ground while fielding.

Speaking after the day’s play, Patel turned down any concerns regarding the Three Lions skipper.

“He is fit to bowl, he’s just pretty knackered,” he told reporters at the Adelaide Oval.

“From what I understand, he’s pretty fit to bowl. I think he’s just pretty knackered and he’s taken a lot out of himself to get through to this point in the game,” Patel added.

Patel added that Stokes always operates at full intensity and would not bowl if he felt he could not perform at 100%.

“All I know is he goes at 100%. If he thinks he can’t do it at 100%, I don’t think he’s going to do it,” he concluded.

READ: India thump Sri Lanka to reach U19 Asia Cup final

Arne Slot said Liverpool have “moved on” from the furore caused by Mohamed Salah’s explosive outburst at being dropped and are showing signs of growing into the side he wants to see.

The Reds begin what could be up to a month without Salah, who is representing Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), away at Tottenham on Saturday.

After a run of nine defeats in 12 games, Slot has steadied the ship in a five-game unbeaten run, during which Salah did not start a single game.

“Actions speak louder than words. We moved on,” Slot told reporters on Friday, referring to his decision to bring Salah on as a substitute in last week’s 2-0 victory over Brighton.

“Now he’s at the AFCON playing big games for himself and the country. All the focus for him is over there and there should not be any distraction of me saying anything because we moved on after the Leeds interview and he played against Brighton.”

Despite a difficult second season for Slot in England, Liverpool sit seventh in the Premier League and would move into the top four with victory against struggling Spurs.

The English champions transformed their squad over the summer transfer window, spending nearly £450 million ($602 million) to bring in Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong, and Milos Kerkez.

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Apart from the impressive Ekitike, all the new signings have struggled, and Slot conceded he had been overly optimistic over how long it would take for his new-look squad to perform consistently.

“I think we are getting closer and closer to the team I want us to be and that has gone with ups and downs,” said the Dutchman.

“But for me, that makes complete sense because all the changes we’ve made during the summer, and we made them on purpose because we thought we needed to.

“If I’m completely honest, maybe I didn’t expect it to take maybe as long as it did, but, looking back on it, reflecting on it now, I think I’ve been too positive because if you go with a new group where not all of them are completely ready to play every single game, 90 minutes in this intensity, you have to adapt.

“Sometimes he can play, then he cannot play. So it takes maybe a bit of time, and we’ve been very unlucky.”

Joe Gomez and Cody Gakpo will miss the trip to Tottenham due to injury, but Slot is hopeful that Dominik Szoboszlai will be fit to start. Frimpong returns after a two-month absence.

READ: India thump Sri Lanka to reach U19 Asia Cup final

DUBAI: A clinical bowling effort, followed by Vihaan Malhotra and Aaron George’s gutsy half-centuries, propelled India to a victory over Sri Lanka in the first semi-final of the ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup here at the ICC Academy on Friday.

Set 139 in a match reduced to 20 overs due to rain, India chased the target on the loss of two wickets with two overs remaining.

Skipper Ayush Mhatre and Vaibhav Suryavanshi were back in the hutch inside 3.3 overs. The former managed just six off eight while the latter was caught for nine from six balls.

As a result, India were 25-2 with Aaron George and Vihaan Malhotra at the crease.

The duo put the Men in Blue’s chase back on track with an unbeaten 114-run partnership for the third wicket that saw them over the line.

Malhotra struck four boundaries and two sixes in his 61 from 45, while Aaron George made 58 off 49 with the aid of four boundaries and a six.

For Sri Lanka, Rasith Nimsara picked up two wickets.

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Earlier, the Indian captain won the toss and asked Sri Lanka to bat first.

But the Islanders’ shambolic batting display limited them to 138-8 at the end of their 20 overs.

India bowlers were on top from the start as they reduced Sri Lanka to 28-3 in 5.3 overs before captain Vimath Dinsara and Chamika Heenatigala tried to stabilize the innings with a 45-run partnership.

The pair brought the score to 73-4 in 11.1 overs before a lower-order collapse saw them reeling at the end of their innings.

Chamika Heenatigala remained the highest scorer with 42 from 38, hitting three boundaries while Vimath Dinsara 32 off 29 balls included four fours.

For India, it was a combined bowling effort with Henil Patel and Kanishk Chouhan leading the wickets chart. The duo picked up two wickets each, while Khilan Patel, Deepesh Devendran, and Kishan Singh picked up one each.

The final will be played on 21 December between India and Pakistan at the ICCA Dubai.

READ: Wildermuth, Renshaw smash tons as Brisbane Heat script historic BBL chase

BRISBANE: Jack Wildermuth and Matt Renshaw produced blistering centuries as Brisbane Heat pulled off a record-breaking chase to stun Perth Scorchers in a Big Bash League (BBL) 15 thriller at the Gabba on Friday.

Chasing a mammoth target of 258, Heat sensationally overhauled the total, registering the highest successful run chase in BBL history and the second-highest team total ever recorded in the competition.

The previous chase record stood at 230, set by Adelaide Strikers against Hobart Hurricanes in 2023.

Remarkably, it was also the first time in T20 cricket history that two batters scored centuries in a successful chase.

Wildermuth anchored the innings with a blistering unbeaten 110 off just 45 balls, hammering five fours and nine sixes.

He found an ideal partner in Renshaw, who smashed 102 from 51 deliveries, also striking five boundaries and nine maximums, as the duo completely turned the contest on its head.

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Brisbane Heat innings began inauspiciously with Colin Munro dismissed off the very first ball, but what followed was nothing short of astonishing.

Wildermuth and Renshaw added 212 runs for the second wicket in just 95 balls, a partnership that left the Scorchers reeling.

Renshaw’s knock ended in the 16th over when he was run out, with the Heat already well within touching distance of the target.

Max Bryant then chipped in with a brisk 28 off 16 balls before retiring hurt after injuring his left shoulder while running between the wickets.

Wildermuth fittingly struck the winning runs, scampering through for a couple to seal a historic chase.

Earlier, Perth Scorchers had set the stage with a formidable batting display after being asked to bat first, piling up 257 for six.

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Mitchell Marsh departed early for three, but that proved to be the only early joy for the Heat bowlers.

Finn Allen and Cooper Connolly tore into the attack, sharing a blazing 142-run stand that powered the Scorchers to 150 inside just 12 overs.

Connolly struck a rapid 77 off 37 balls, including six fours and six sixes, before being dismissed by Wildermuth.

Allen soon followed, falling to Shaheen Shah Afridi for a scintillating 79 off 38 balls, an innings featuring eight sixes and three fours.

Late cameos from Aaron Hardie (23) and Nick Hobson (26) ensured Perth finished with a daunting total.

For the Heat, Xavier Bartlett claimed two wickets, while Shaheen Afridi, Wildermuth, Liam Haskett and Matthew Kuhnemann picked up one apiece.

Kuhnemann, however, endured a night to forget, conceding 60 runs in his spell, the most expensive figures by a spinner in BBL history.

READ: Travis Head joins Don Bradman in elite club with Adelaide Test hundred

DUBAI: Dominant Pakistan crushed Bangladesh by eight wickets to set up ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup final against arch-rivals India on Sunday.

Set partly 122 in a match reduced to 27 overs per side due to rain, Pakistan hit the winning runs on the third ball of the 16th over, losing two wickets in the process.

Pakistan had a poor start in pursuit of the target as opener Hamza Zahoor was sent back without scoring in the first over.

After an early blow, Sameer Minhas and Usman Khan paired up for an 86-run stand in 10.3 overs, which put the Green Shirts near the victory.

Usman Khan was trapped lbw for 27 off 26 with the help of two sixes and two fours. This was the only silver lining for depleted Bangladesh’s bowling attack.

Sameen Minhas stringed another 36*run stand with Ahmed Hussain to take his side into the final.

Minhas unbeaten 69* from 57 included six fours and two sixes while Hussain made 11 from 14 balls.

For Bangladesh, Samiun Basir and Iqbal Hossain Emon managed to take one apiece.

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Earlier, pacer Abdul Subhan took a four-wicket haul to help his side bundle out Bangladesh for a modest total in the second semi-final of the ACC here at The Sevens Stadium on Friday.

Put into bat first, Pakistan skittled Bangladesh for 121 in 26.3 overs.

In-form opener Zawad Abrar and Rifat Beg added 24 in 4.4 overs, before both were removed in a span of two balls.

Following the early hiccup, skipper Azizul Hakim and Kalam Siddiki added a stitched brief partnership of 31, which brought the total over the 50-run mark.

After a brief stand, the Tigers’ batters were looking set, but Abdul Subhan took two in the 12th over to spark a collapse that they could never recover from.

As a result, they slumped from 55-3 to 73-6 in 15.4 overs. Skipper Aziz scored 20 from 26 balls with the help of a four and a six.

With Bangladesh in deep trouble, Samiun Basir, who top-scored with 33 off 37, took them over the 100-run mark. He hit six and a four in his crucial knock that provided his side with respite lower down the order.

Eventually, the whole team was bowled out before playing their allotted overs.

For Pakistan, Abdul Subhan starred with the ball, picking up a four-wicket haul in his six overs. Huzaifa Ahsan supported him well with two wickets to his name.

READ: Travis Head joins Don Bradman in elite club with Adelaide Test hundred

ADELAIDE: Australia batter Travis Head etched his name alongside Sir Donald Bradman in elite Test history after striking an unbeaten century at his home ground during the third Ashes Test against England at the Adelaide Oval on Friday.

Head’s commanding knock marked his fourth century in as many Tests at the venue, a feat achieved by only three other Australians in the history of the game.

Bradman managed it twice, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and at Leeds, while Michael Clarke accomplished the milestone in Adelaide and Steve Smith at the MCG.

The 31-year-old’s unbeaten 142, his second hundred of the ongoing Ashes series and 11th overall in Test cricket, pushed Australia into a commanding position.

By stumps on day two, the hosts had built a daunting 356-run lead, putting them firmly on course to retain the Ashes after winning the first two Tests.

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“Didn’t think I’d get one, so to get four it’s not too bad,” Travis Head said after the day’s play.

He found valuable support from fellow South Australian Alex Carey, who remained unbeaten on 52 as the pair safely steered Australia to stumps.

Head praised Carey’s presence at the crease, saying his energy helped him push through a tiring final session.

“He’s playing well and probably kept me going there late in the day,” Head said. “It was a long day, so it was nice to walk off with him at the end.”

READ: Sri Lanka confirm captain, preliminary squad for ICC T20 World Cup 2026