Judd Trump bows out in the first round of The Wuxi Classic

By Phillipa Hopwood: The world number three is out of the Wuxi classic in China after losing 5-2 to Li Hang in the opening round.

The former world number one is joined on the list of casualties by former World Champion Peter Ebdon, World Open champion Mark Allen, Steve Davis, Rory Mcleod  and Kurt Maflin.

The current world number one Neil Robertson eased through to the next round with a 5-3 win over Zhu Yinghui, as did his European Tour Championship final opponent John Higgins after a 5-1 win over Vinnie Calabrese.

Current world number two Mark Selby was dismissed in qualifying, after he missed the European Tour and was narrowly defeated a few days ago in the Asian Tour final. Shaun Murphy was also knocked out in the qualifying stages, whilst World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan is sitting this one out based on “personal reasons”.

Jack Lisowski needed just 55 minutes to whitewash opponent Tian Pengfei 5-0 and defending champion Ricky Walden was knocked out 5-1 by 51 –year-old Jimmy White.

Joe Perry continued his run of form after winning the Asian Tour final on Sunday, he is through to the second round after a 5-2 win over fellow countryman Jamie Cope. Dechawat Poomjaeng , the entertainer from the World Championships is also through after a 5-1 win over Dominic Dale.

Ali Carter, Mark Williams, Jimmy Robertson, Robert Milkins, Mark King, Stuart Bingham, Alan Mcmanus and Ding Junhui round up the big names making it through to the last 32 after convincing wins over lower ranked opposition.

The wild card round saw a bit of a change this year after for the first time a female qualified, but she only managed to make it to that round after bowing out 2-5 to Zhu Yinghui. Despite her loss, nine time ladies Champion Reanne Evans has said that she feels “female’s snooker is on the rise”.

It was thought that she would face Neil Robertson today after she qualified for the Chinese event but was then required to play an extra wildcard round before she could face the 2010 World Champion.

This was her ranking event debut but she has taken it all in her stride and even tweeted “Oh well, good experience. Onwards and upwards. Just the beginning.”

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Spain’s Thiago Alcantara celebrates scoring against Italy

By Phillipa Hopwood: Spain have successfully defended their under 21’s European championship with a 4-2 win over Italy in Jerusalem, they are without doubt the most dominant force in football at the moment.

The Spanish national team are the holders of both the World Cup and the European Championship having won and then retained the trophy last year.

Now it seems the youngsters coming through are up to the challenge of continuing that success throughout the next ten years.

Spain faced the most successful team in this competition in the final and proved they deserved to retain the title brushing them aside with Captain Thiago Alcantara’s hat trick  (his first ever hat trick) and a goal from Isco midway through the second half, this was enough to see Spain lift the trophy for the fourth time.

Ciro Immobile and Fabio Borini scored the goals for Italy but they turned out to be little more than conciliations as the former five time winners were completely out played and out classed at the Teddy Stadium.

Spain U21 Champions 2013

The two previous finals between these two back in 1986 and 1996 ended with penalties and this game contained two spot kicks from the captain and Isco. Spain are now one trophy win of Italy’s record.

Spain qualified for the knockout stages as group winners after not conceding a single goal in all their group games and beating Germany, Netherlands and Russia on their way before facing Norway in the Semi-finals and white washing them 3-0.

Italy are the first team to score against Spain in a competitive fixture since Denmark back in October, that alone should tell you how strong Spain’s defence has become and the fact that the champions Manchester United are looking to sign Thiago should tell you how much attention their strike force is attracting.

Alvaro Morata now takes the golden boot for the tournament after scoring four goals in the finals of the competition and his teammate Thiago also makes his own record being only the second player to score four goals in a final, one back in Denmark in 2011 and three tonight in Israel.

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Mikey Garcia vs Juan Manuel Lopez Review

By Peter Wells (twitter @boxingbrains): After years of hard work and tough grafting, it took just 2lbs for Mikey Garcia to lose the WBO Featherweight title. Garcia and his camp have received plenty of criticism but it was Garcia himself who was effected the worst as he lost the chance to defend his world title for the first time.

Yet despite the disappointment there was a welcome consolation prize. An impressive 4th round stoppage of former star of the future, Juan Manuel Lopez was all that Mikey could do to improve the frustration of losing his WBO strap. With an impressive variety of punches, Garcia chopped down Lopez with considerable ease, proving that Lopez truly is a hollow version of the fighter he once was 3 years ago.

Before the fight began, I refused to read too much into the Orlando Salido defeats on Lopez’s record, instead believing that JuanMa could pull off the upset. But that tiny feeling was squashed in the 4th round, when a left hook sent the Puerto Rican to the canvas for the second and last time in the contest. Lopez came to fight, but he simply lacked the skills to compete with the brilliant counter-punching of the Mexican, Garcia.

The first round was close. Garcia dominated with his jab for the majority of the round, but Lopez fired in some powerful one-twos which caught Garcia’s attention. The next stanza was all Garcia, the jab rarely missing and suddenly JuanMa’s vulnerabilities seemed all too easy to exploit. A desperate flurry from the fists of Lopez was punished with a single, accurate right hand which left Lopez seated on the canvas.

The third wasn’t a bad round for Lopez, who seemed to have recovered well, but his failure to defend himself after letting his hands go was punished almost every time by the fast counters from Garcia.

Then in the 4th round of the fight, Lopez, after being caught with a right hand became reckless and Garcia on the back foot landed heavy shots, snapping JuanMa’s head back with every blow. One final punch and Lopez was down and unsteady on his feet. Referee Rafael Ramos rightly called a halt to proceedings, declaring Garcia the winner by way of technical knockout.

A third stoppage defeat of his career for JuanMa – 33-3(30) - leaves the Puerto Rican in a sticky situation. Despite that Lopez has name value, which may warrant him at least one more world title shot. Outside of that if Gary Russell Jr is ready for the step up in class then a fight between himself and Lopez would be interesting to watch.

Mikey Garcia finishes off JuanMa Lopez

As for Garcia now 32-0(27) , he did express his desire to remain at Featherweight where lucrative fights with the likes of Abner Mares, Chris John and possibly Guillermo Rigondeaux lie in wait. But if and when Garcia feels that he should move up to Super Featherweight a Puerto Rico-Mexico match-up looks likely against Roman ‘Rocky’ Martinez.

On the undercard, Terence Crawford once again impressed, dominating Alejandro Sanabria before the Mexican was stopped in the 6th.

Just three months after out boxing Breidis Prescott over 10 rounds, Crawford took the fight to Sanabria to prove that he has the power to match his skills. Crawford now 21-0(16), is looking at a bright future in boxing, although Max Kellerman’s claim that he is the best 135lbs fighter in the world, is a few stretches too far. As for Sanabria he drops to a still impressive 34-2-1(25) after his first contest outside of Mexico.

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Writer at Boxing Brains.co.uk

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Kell Brook to Make a Statement

By Shane Crawley: Kell Brook is aiming to make a statement in the re-match against Carson Jones on July 13 and he intends to send a message out to the rest of the Welterweights, Brook has been unlucky after he missed on a title clash against IBF welterweight champion Devon Alexander due to ankle and foot injuries.

Brook aim to clear up the controversy surrounding their previous fight as some thought that Jones could of won on the night, the Sheffield fighter wants to put that right and showcase his boxing abilities in emphatic fashion.

Carson Jones pushed Kell Brook all the way in their first contest, taking the Englishman all the way, pushing him hard in the last six rounds making a mess of the 27-year-old’s nose.

Kell Brook has been frustrated after pulling out of the title fight against IBF Welterweight Champion Alexander; the bout was postponed three times in total with the American pulling out of the second date with a bicep problem.

Brook said: “It has been very frustrating.

“I have never really had an injury in my whole career and then, just before the biggest fight of my life, it happens to come along.

“It was horrible and I was absolutely gutted about it.

“Without a doubt, it was the hardest thing I have had to go through in my boxing career.

“I couldn’t watch Alexander v Lee Purdy, I couldn’t do it. Knowing that I should have been in there that night, I couldn’t sit down and watch it.”

Kell Brook

Brook cannot wait to get started and will fight the American on the undercard of Olympic gold medallist Luke Campbell’s professional debut next month in Hull.

The 27-year-old said: “I am on to the next chapter in my boxing career now and I am looking forward to having fun on July 13.

“Big things will come from me. I am going to make a statement in this fight and I am going to carry on from there.

“I could have had an easier opponent but the last fight was an exciting, mouth-watering fight, and I think the fans deserve this.

“It is going to be a tough fight and I am training hard for it. I am going to go out there and have fun and take care of business.”

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Tony Jacklin: Justin Rose Can Win More Majors

By Jonno James: After seeing Justin Rose win his first major championship last night to become first British player to win a US Open for thirteen years, previous winner Tony Jacklin believes Justin Rose can go on to claim multiple majors.

Justin Rose emulated Tony Jacklin’s success from 1970 yesterday at Merion to become the first English winner since Nick Faldo in 1996, Rose has jumped up the rankings to world number eight after his US Open win.

Jacklin, a former two major championships himself won The Open in 1969 and the US Open the following year believes the courage shown from Justin Rose on the final day pushed him over the line and he has tipped Rose to win future majors.

“It’s all about confidence and I’ve no reason to believe he couldn’t win four or five majors,” said Jacklin.

Justin Rose secured victory-finishing two difficult pars on the final two holes, which was enough to keep challenger Phil Mickelson at bay who has now finished as a runner-up on six different occasions.

“He finished like a true champion,” said Jacklin.

“It takes a lot of courage to win a major championship. You have to stay in the moment, which sounds very easy but when the stakes are high it’s very hard.

“To come through it is fantastic and I was proud of him. He’s a good guy, he’s good for the game.

“Merion was the great examination it’s supposed to be – it was fantastic.”

Jacklin remembers seeing Justin Rose burst on to the scene as a 17-year-old amateur when finished fourth in the 1998 Open at Royal Birkdale.

“I was thrilled for him. I know what he’s gone through in his professional life,” said Jacklin.

“I was obviously around when he had that audacious chip in at Birkdale at 17 and witnessed the difficult time he had after turning pro and all the struggles that he had.

“To fight through that, it takes a lot of courage. What was shown at Merion was exactly that.”

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Joe Kinnear set for Newcastle United

By Jonno James: Joe Kinnear says he has signed a three-year deal to become Newcastle United’s director of football, the former Magpies manager comes in to help with team affairs with the role of improving their form on the pitch.

Kinnear will focus on recruitment matters, overseeing players that are coming and in and players going out, Kinnear will have the final say on transfer dealings. It is clear that there are areas that need addressing in the squad, he insists he will be there to offer he’s advice to Alan Pardew should he ask for any and he admits he will do what is necessary to get the right players in who he feels will benefit Newcastle.

Kinnear is not there to force his opinions on the manager and when asked about who would have the say on final future transfer targets, he added; “It will be me.

“If between the three of us (Kinnear, Pardew and head scout Graham Carr) we sit down and iron it out and them two decide that he’s not that good, then my ears will be wide open. It’s not a case of lump it or like it.

“But if there is a close decision to be made and we are running out of time and it’s something we have to do and I see a specific job…

“Footballers come in all shapes and sizes and if there is a specific job that we need to add some meat or beef to the team, we’ll do it. I believe that’s what we have to do.

“If there is somewhere that we’re lacking pace in wide areas, then we’ll add that to the team. If there is somewhere where we are short of people scoring goals, and we see people who will guarantee us 20 goals a season, then we will take that chance and I will buy those players.

Joe Kinnear will have final say on transfers

“First and foremost, once I have clarified that with Alan – this is for the good of Newcastle, this is quite clear what needs to happen here – that will be the area I will work in, it’s as simple as that.

“I’m going to do the best I possibly can to make Newcastle a far better team than they are now.”

Kinnear has not been told how much of the transfer budget is available from owner Mike Ashley, he feels that a clear out of fringe players is needed and that sales will be forthcoming to generate its own funds.

He said: “The transfer kitty, I am going to assess that next week with Mike.

“I will sit down with Alan first and once I find out what needs to be shifted out of the club – maybe we can get some money back if we need to shift four or five of them, then so be it – we can then look at the targets and present a business plan to Mike to say ‘This is what it’s going to cost us, this will make us a better team and this will put us up in the top 10′.”

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Manuel Pellegrini appointed Man City manager

By Phillipa Hopwood: Former Malaga manager Manuel Pellegrini will take over at The Etihad on a three-year contract.

The Chilean will take control of the club from the 24th June after this morning it was revealed that he had cut his ties with former club Malaga.

The 59-year-old takes over the former champions nearly a month after Roberto Mancini was sacked.

Malaga has announced that Bernd Schuster, the former Real Madrid and Barcelona player takes over from the Chilean at La Rosaleda.

Manchester City have tried to get Pellegrini to sign for weeks after it was announced he would leave Malaga and finally today they have their man, he said in a statement:

”I am delighted to accept this hugely exciting opportunity. The club has a clear vision for the success both on and off the pitch and I am committed to making a significant contribution. Everything is in place for Manchester City to continue to be successful and I am excited to be able to work with such a talented squad, the executive team and the board to deliver for the fans who are renowned for their steadfast support.”

Khaldoon Al Mubarak

He also has the backing of Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak: ”Manuel is a hugely experienced and successful manager with a proven track record. We have been greatly impressed throughout the selection process by his philosophy, his attitude and his commitment to the long-term development of Manchester City.

I am delighted that he has joined us.”

Pellegrini will see who he will be testing his metal against in his first Premier League season on Wednesday when the 2013/14 Premier League fixtures are released.

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Owen Coyle

By Phillipa Hopwood: Owen Coyle has been announced this morning as the successor of Roberto Martinez at The DW Stadium.Sky Sports have announced that he is set to sign a 12 month rolling contract which will see him earn a bonus if he lands promotion back to The Premier League on his first attempt.

The manager merry go round began back in May when Alex Ferguson announced his retirement so David Moyes replaced him at Manchester United, Then Roberto Martinez replaced Moyes at Everton and finally Wigan have found a replacement for the former player.

The former Bolton manager has been out of work since October when he left Bolton after a 2-1 loss to Millwall meant they had won just three league games in 10.

The 46- year -old started his managing career at Falkirk before joining St Johnstone and then Burnley and then deciding to remain in Lancaster to manage Bolton in the Premier League.

Coyle seems to be the best person for the job after he got Burnley promoted for the first time in their history back in 2009 by winning the play-offs. But he ultimately couldn’t keep them up the next season and so Coyle then joined Bolton who also got relegated back in 2012.

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Rory Mcillroy won the 2011 US Open

By Richard Smith: The US Open gets underway at Merion Golf Club on Thursday and once again, it promises to be a thrilling few days of golf action. The weather in Pennsylvania has been causing havoc for the practice rounds so far this week, which is sure to have an effect on the course come the weekend.

The soft conditions should ensure that we see plenty of birdies from the best players in the world with a strong army from Europe in particular hoping to take advantage of that. There have only been two European winners of the US Open since 1970 which is a worry stat but here’s the case for a third come Sunday evening.

Those two previous winners were of course Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell who are both from Northern Ireland and won the tournament in successive years in 2010 and 2011. It is fair to say that both are once again are well fancied to win the tournament for a second time and they could prove to be the leading contenders from Europe at Merion.

McIlroy is the current world number two and always a danger, while McDowell is bang in form having won the RBC Heritage a couple of weeks ago and making three other top ten finishes on the PGA Tour in 2013 ensuring that the 22/1 on offer about both of them winning could well prove to be tempting.

Could Justin Rose win his Major Championship?

Outside of the two from Northern Ireland, there are a number of other European players who are in form heading into the second Major of the season. Chief amongst those is the highly consistent Justin Rose who will be continuing the search for his first Major Championship.

Rose has been close a number of times on the big stage but there is no doubt he is playing well enough at the moment to end that drought.

He is up to number five in the world and could well offer punters good value at 28/1 to win the US Open, while the 8/1 about Rose being the Top European also looks tempting.

A Rose win would be a popular one amongst the players and fans but no Englishman has won the US Open since Tony Jacklin won in 1970, which certainly bode well for his chances.

Matteo Manassero is the player in form

One European player who is certainly going into the US Open in hot form is Matteo Manassero who has unsurprisingly been well backed to have a good tournament. The young Italian recently picked up the PGA Championship at Wentworth to rocket up the rankings and most believe he is a future Champion of the sport.

He is already a multiple winner on the European Tour, despite still being only 20 and his price of around 60/1 to win the US Open could certainly offer punters some nice each-way value.

Manassero is a newer name on the circuit from Europe but there are a number of older hands who will once again be under pressure this week to end their major ducks. Lee Westwood, Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter are the men in question and all four of them will be desperate to have a good week in Pennsylvania.

Garcia (33/1) is the one under the most pressure in America after his recent spat with Tiger Woods and he is expected to come in for a tough time from the galleries. Lee Westwood (28/1) must know that time is running out for him to claim his first major while Luke Donald (40/1) will also continue his major quest this weekend and will be hoping to prove he is good enough to lift that famous trophy come Sunday evening.

Could Graeme McDowell win the US Open for second time?

Any number of European players will go into this week’s US Open with genuine chances but looking at current form there are one or two stand out contenders. Graeme McDowell certainly looks like a cracking bet given his return to form while the fact that he is a former champion, should also give him an extra boost of confidence.

Backing McDowell to the top European makes perfect sense while Manassero is certainly a young man to keep an eye on as well given his current confidence levels and undoubted talent.

All odds quoted are from the bookmakers comparison for the US Open @ http://www.betting-directory.com/golf/us-open.php

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Mikey Garcia vs Juan Manuel Lopez Preview

By Peter Wells (twitter @boxingbrains): As Juan Manuel Lopez looks deep into the eyes of Mikey Garcia, he see’s an image of himself 26 months ago. He sees the hot prospect in Garcia, that once lay in himself. He smiles at every complimentary word aimed towards Garcia, because not too long ago those identical praises were directed at him.

But rather than feeling jealous of the favourite, he instead feels sympathy, and a hint of sadness. That is because he was once in Garcia’s shoes, and now he is ready to inflict the same damage on Garcia’s career as Orlando Salido did to his in 2011.

For Mikey Garcia to think Lopez is anywhere close to being ‘done’, would be a huge mistake that himself and his team will be wise not to commit.

Garcia may be coming off a one-sided technical decision victory against Lopez’s only conqueror, Orlando Salido, but the JuanMa challenge is a totally new and daunting test.

Lopez once upon a time, was the rising star in the Super Bantamweight division. One sided destructions of Daniel Ponce De Leon(TKO 1), Gerry Penalosa(RTD 10) and 4 others in his 6 fight reign as WBO 112lbs king – although his final defence vs Rogers Mtagwa was on points.

He then took Featherweight by storm, stopping Steve Luevano(TKO 7) for the WBO title before successful defences against Bernabe Concepcion(TKO 2) – in a fight that saw four knockdowns - and Rafael Marquez(RTD 8).

Then along came the stumbling block. When a money-spinning match-up with Yuriokis Gamboa was on the horizon, Orlando Salido took exception, dragging the Puerto Rican into deep waters before he was stopping him in the 8th round. After one comeback fight Lopez was seeking revenge against his Mexican nemesis.

Once again Lopez was the favourite, many believing that he had underestimated his 30 year old conqueror (Salido is now 32). Instead it was a repeat, Salido halting Lopez in 10 rounds this time, but the structure of the contest and the outcome was identical to the first instalment.

He then took Featherweight by storm, stopping Steve Luevano(TKO 7) for the WBO title before successful defences against Bernabe Concepcion(TKO 2) – in a fight that saw four knockdowns - and Rafael Marquez(RTD 8).

Then along came the stumbling block. When a money-spinning match-up with Yuriokis Gamboa was on the horizon, Orlando Salido took exception, dragging the Puerto Rican into deep waters before he was stopping him in the 8th round. After one comeback fight Lopez was seeking revenge against his Mexican nemesis.

Once again Lopez was the favourite, many believing that he had underestimated his 30 year old conqueror (Salido is now 32). Instead it was a repeat, Salido halting Lopez in 10 rounds this time, but the structure of the contest and the outcome was identical to the first instalment.

Now at the age of 29 and with a record of 33-2(30), Lopez is suddenly the fighter coming in with the punchers chance – which is how many viewed Salido. However the 25 year old Mickey Garcia 31-0(26) comes in as a heavy puncher himself, scoring 8 knockouts in a row before his technical decision victory of Salido.

Garcia’s most impressive wins have come against former Lopez victim, Bernabe Concepcion(TKO 7) and Jonathan Victor Barros(TKO 8). Against Salido, Garcia dominated in every department, scoring four knockdowns before an accidental head-butt broke Garcia’s nose. Mikey unable to continue, sent it to the scorecards in which Garcia was light years ahead.

For Lopez to come out victorious he must not stalk Garcia at the same pace that Salido did. The Mexican was too slow and cumbersome, allowing Garcia to pick his shots at a canter.

JuanMa must be quick to pressure his opponent, forcing him onto the ropes and land big shots to the head and body. Having previously broken his nose, it wouldn’t be a bad idea if Lopez targeted that area in the hope that the injury may re-surface.

As for Garcia, although this challenge will prove to be far greater than the Salido one, he must box in the same vain. Lopez leaves himself wide open on the way in, so Garcia will have the chances to put some real hurt on JuanMa.

A knockdown or two is likely with both boxers zoned in to hurting one another. The pick is for Lopez to start the contest brightly, forcing a cautious Garcia onto the ropes. Sensible body assaults could leave Garcia tired and vulnerable in the second half of the fight. If Lopez fails to employ good head movement then he will be picked apart for a late stoppage.

However I have the tiniest of inclinations that Lopez can pull it off, only if he manages to make himself hard to hit, something JuanMa has never been too successful at before.

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Peter Wells

Writer at Boxing Brains.co.uk

Follow me on twitter (@boxingbrains) for all my blog posts and where I post all my own opinions on boxing. Also visit my blog to see all my posts: http://boxingbrains.blogspot.co.uk/

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