KEPA CUP FINAL RECORD AT WEMBLEY

 

ARSENAL STARTING XI VS. MANCHESTER CITY | CARABAO CUP FUNAL

 

WEMBLEY AGAIN! | ARSENAL VS CHELSEA HIGHLIGHTS | CARABAO CUP

 

ARSENAL'S HUGE '£500M EMIRATES STADIUM PLAN' COMES TO LIGHT WITH WEMBLEY MOVE ON THE CARDS

Arsenal could temporarily leave the Emirates (Image: Getty Images)

Arsenal could be about to move to Wembley Stadium while the Emirates Stadium is worked on, as the Gunners plan to extend their home ground to above 70,000 seats

Arsenal are planning a major expansion to the Emirates Stadium that could see them move their home games to Wembley Stadium, it has been claimed.

There has been talk about the Gunners extending their 60,700-capacity ground for some time, but now plans have accelerated and detailed work has gone into a potential overhaul of the north London stadium.

According to The Telegraph, Arsenal are hoping to extend the Emirates to beyond 70,000, something that would see them restore the feat as having the biggest club ground in London, overtaking West Ham and Tottenham.

It's added that the Gunners have options to change the gradient of the stands and can adapt the seating plan to fit in more supporters in the future, should the fanbase continue to increase. However, the outer bowl would remain similar in appearance as most of the redevelopments would come inside the ground.

Increasing the capacity would go some way to cutting down the season ticket waiting list that now stands at above 100,000, with some supporters waiting on there for a number of years now.

Meanwhile, the proposed plan would also help pump millions into the club's annual revenue, providing more support to meet Profit and Sustainability (PSR) and Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations

Arsenal's plan to increase the Emirates has gathered pace this year, but it is complex in that it is likely to involve every part of the stadium rather than just one stand. Major new investment in the club’s stadium is expected to run into the hundreds of millions, with a figure of £500m being speculated.

As the Gunners would therefore need to move into a temporary home for work to be completed, Wembley has emerged as the most obvious local option if an agreement could be reached with the Football Association.

Arsenal have played six Champions League fixtures at Wembley in 1998/99 and 1999/2000, winning just two, but have a positive recent record there with four FA Cup victories between 2014 until 2020.

Tottenham played at Wembley for almost two years when they were finishing building their £1.2bn state-of-the-art new stadium. Spurs paid £15m to play home matches at the national stadium.

It's unclear who will lead the Emirates rebuild, although the club's Kroenke family owners have experience in stadium construction across their sports portfolio, notably the £4.1bn 100,000-seat SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

The Gunners have not reached the stage of seeking planning permission, and are still conscious of the various legal and planning hurdles that they would have to overcome.

Planning permission for a project of this size could take as long as five years, and plans with more minor alterations are also being considered.

Arsenal moved into the £390m Emirates Stadium in 2006 following more than two years of building work and around a decade of planning.

- Kieran King

ANTHONY JOSHUA VS. JAKE PAUL 'BIBLICAL FIGHT CAN HAPPEN ' AS WEMBLEY PLAN AND DATE REVEALED

Anthony Joshua could face Jake Paul(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Anthony Joshua's next match inside the squared circle could be against Jake Paul with Wembley Stadium being lined up as a potential venue for the farcical fight

Anthony Joshua could face Jake Paul early next year with Wembley Stadium being lined up as a potential venue for the farcical fight.

The two-time heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medallist is seriously considering taking on the motormouth YouTube star in a real fight.

The British Boxing Board of Control would come under serious fire if they sanctioned a bout between such an experienced fighter and Paul, who has beaten only old former boxers in Mike Tyson and Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr as well as MMA fighters and other novices.

Paul, 28, lost to Tommy Fury when they boxed in Saudi Arabia back in 2023. Yet after 35-year-old Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn insisted his man was really considering taking on the YouTuber, Paul’s man Nakisa Bidarian told Sky Sports talks are underway.

He said: “I think the fight can absolutely happen. I'm looking at it as Jake versus Joshua, which is quite biblical, and it's quite impactful in many ways.

Jake Paul has only really faced boxers passed their prime(Image: Getty Images)

"I think size wise, we can get comfortable with it, and I think experience wise, Jake is learning very fast and growing, and Joshua is a little long in the tooth. So it could be a very interesting matchup, and we're actively discussing it with Matchroom.”

Joshua is currently rehabilitating after elbow surgery and not ready to return until December at the earliest. Hearn says he’s still intent on facing Tyson Fury and a Paul fight would be a warm-up.

Yet there seems little benefit other than financially of facing someone with 13 pro fights and no amateur experience before taking on Fury.

Saudi boxing power broker Turki Alalshikh said he would be interested in staging the fight and financially backing it as he is not a fan of the fights Paul has and wants to rid him from the sport. That’s why the Middle East is also on the table as a potential host.

Bidarian added: “I think we're looking at it happening at the start of 2026. It's public that AJ was taking a little time away, I think he had a little surgery. “So once he's ready, and once Jake is ready, we're going to squarely focus on that.

"It's a fight that Jake wants to do, and that's a discussion we've had at length, and he feels very confident about where he is in his career and his chances of upsetting Anthony Joshua.

“Wembley's definitely a possibility. Jake said he'd like to do it there. He likes the idea of going in and hearing 90,000 people booing him!"

- Chris McKenna

OLEKSANDR USYK TELLS DANIEL DUBOUS TO HIS FACE THAT ONE HEAVYWEIGHT HITS HARDER THAN HIM

Image credit: DAZN

Oleksandr Usyk’s rematch with Daniel Dubois is just days away.

The Ukrainian looks to add even more to an already impeccable legacy this weekend at Wembley Stadium if he beats 27-year-old Brit Dubois for a second time.

The first time these two fought was in August 2023 out in Poland. It was a controversial fight given that ‘DDD’ had Usyk down on the canvas after landing what he thought was a fierce body shot, but the referee ruled it low and the Ukrainian was allowed time to recover, which he did, eventually stopping Dubois with a jab in the ninth round.

Since then, Usyk has beaten Tyson Fury twice on points to claim all four heavyweight belts, though had to vacate the IBF for the rematch.

Meanwhile, Dubois has matured as a man and as a fighter and has come through three increasingly tough tests against Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic and Anthony Joshua in the last 18 months, all of whom he stopped to become to earn the vacant IBF belt.

Most feel that Dubois’ chance in this return fight comes early and through his incredible heavyweight power. However, speaking to DAZN, the now-nearing 40-year-old Usyk was asked about the biggest puncher he has faced in the ring. Rather than pick his old foe Dubois, he went with a fellow Brit.

“I think it’s Derek. Crazy Derek.”

Usyk fought Chisora back in 2020 in his second contest up at heavyweight and won a tough contest on the cards. Many feel that ‘Del Boy’ set the blueprint for how to fight the Ukrainian, though nobody has been able to emulate it since, certainly not to the point of beating him.

Whoever wins this weekend will be crowned undisputed world heavyweight champion – in Usyk’s case, that could be for a history-making second time on top of having been undisputed cruiserweight champion.

- Kristan Caryl

OLEKSANDR USYK VS. DANIEL DUBOIS | HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP OF THE WORLD

 

ENGLAND 3-0 LATVIA | POST MATCH ANALYSIS

 

BREAKING: TYSON FURY RETIRES FROM BOXING IN BITTER BLOW TO ANTHONY JOSHUA'S HOPES OF FIGHT

Tyson Fury recently lost to heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk for the second time and after the fight the British boxer revealed that he'd need to consider his future in the sport.

Tyson Fury has announced his retirement from boxing for the third time in a fresh bombshell statement.

Fury, 36, has been heavily tipped to fight fellow British heavyweight Anthony Joshua in 2025 but it appears that bout is no longer on the cards. The 'Gypsy King' lost his last fight in December to heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, the second time he'd been defeated by the Ukrainian. 

Fury made the announcement in a short video which he posted on social media on Monday afternoon.

"Hi everybody, I'm going to make this short and sweet," he said to the camera. "I'd like to announce my retirement from boxing. It's been a blast, I've loved every single minute of it. I'm going to end with this. Dick Turpin wore a mask. God bless everybody, see you on the other side. Get up!"

Boxing fans have noted that Fury has retired from the sport twice in the past. The first came after his historic victory over Wladimir Klitschko and again after he beat Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium.

Fury said when asked about the prospect of retiring after losing to Usyk in Saudi Arabia last month: "You might see me fight again, you might not."

Yet a clash with Joshua has been hotly debated ever since. Eddie Hearn, head of Matchroom Boxing Joshua's promoter, said following Fury's loss: "The reality is there's only one fight for Tyson Fury and that's Anthony Joshua. It's the biggest fight probably in the history of British boxing, everyone will always want to see it."

Tyson Fury recent lost to Oleksandr Usyk ( Image: PA)

Hearn also revealed on Sunday that he'd reserved Wembley for Fury and Joshua's fight to take place in 'May or June'. "Yes. We're looking to get back in the ring in May or June. If it ended up being July, it doesn't really matter,' Hearn told Sky Sports at the Ring Awards.

"I still think it rests on Tyson Fury. Until the water settles on the defeat and where he's at mentally and what he wants to do, that's where we're really going to find out. Because when he looks at the options, what else is he going to do and who else is he going to fight?"

Joshua, 35, also confirmed earlier this month that Fury was his next 'target'. He explained during a trip to meet Nigerian President Bola Tinubu: "2025, I am targeting Tyson Fury."

Fury and Joshua had been scheduled to fight in late 2022, with the Gypsy King the reigning WBC heavyweight champion at the time. Negotiations then collapsed, with Fury instead successfully defending his title against Derek Chisora at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Joshua's last fight, meanwhile, came in September. The Olympic gold medalist was stopped in the fifth round by Britain's Daniel Dubois for the IBF title.

- Nathan Ridley

'GLADIATOR' ANTHONY JOSHUA WEIGHS IN SLIGHTLY HEAVIER THAN DANIEL DUBOIS

Matchroom Boxing 

Hundreds of boxing fans packed London's Trafalgar Square on Friday to watch Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois weigh in and face off for the final time before their IBF heavyweight title fight at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.

Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) weighed in at 252 pounds, slightly heavier than Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs), who topped the scales at 248 pounds.

After stepping off the scales, Joshua made a plea to fans, most of whom were cheering for him over his opponent.

"If I can ask you one favour, go home tonight and make a prayer for me, for success tomorrow, that I will become three-time heavyweight champion of the world," Joshua said.

"I look at myself as a gladiator, and I'm about to step into an arena tomorrow to perform for the people who love to see blood, guts and glory."

Dubois was slightly more reserved and appeared laser-focused.

"I'm ready to fight, just time to get in the ring and fight. I'm ready to go. A lot of work going into this, a lot of training. I win by any means necessary," Dubois said.

The weigh-in brought to a close an eventful fight week that has seen events take place at some of London's most iconic venues -- including media duties at Old Billingsgate, a photoshoot in front of Tower Bridge, grand arrivals in Leicester Square and a news conference at the Guildhall, built in 1440.

"With Riyadh season, they really do push the limits. In Los Angeles a couple of weeks ago, we took over Santa Monica Pier [and] the Chinese Theatre," Eddie Hearn, Joshua's promoter, told ESPN.

"This is obviously Trafalgar Square ... so one, it's a lot closer to home, and two, it's a considerable cost and investment to do [hold events].

"It's been incredible the whole week, and this is the icing on the cake before what will be a historic night at Wembley tomorrow.

Of Joshua, Hearn said he is in career-best shape, but warned Dubois will offer a tough test.

"AJ's in a place that I've never seen him in before. I mean, I'm always nervous about his fights, but he just mentally, physically looks so ready. But Dubois is a handful, it's not going to be an easy fight," Hearn said.

"But I believe he'll be victorious tomorrow and become three-time world heavyweight champion.

Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, confirmed on Thursday that tickets had sold out, with a post-war-record crowd of 96,000 expected at Wembley on Saturday night.

Frank Warren, Dubois' promoter, said the event will be one to remember.

"Bombs away, that's what it's going to be," Warren said.

"I'm very excited, it's a massive massive fight and we're going to see fireworks tomorrow.

"[Dubois] is young man, just turned 27, he's shown what he's all about. He's calm, cool and collected. Tomorrow night, you're going to see something special."

- James Regan

ANTHONY JOSHUA-DANIEL DUBOIS: WHAT THE NUMBERS TELL US ABOUT THE FIGHT

Anthony Joshua, left, takes on IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois on Saturday at Wembley Stadium in London. Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing

Anthony Joshua is looking to become a three-time heavyweight world champion when he faces IBF titleholder Daniel Dubois on Saturday at London's Wembley Stadium (DAZN PPV, 11 a.m. ET).

Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) has revived his career after back-to-back decision losses to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and 2022. Since then, he's 4-0 with three KOs, including a devastating second-round stoppage win over former UFC champion Francis Ngannou last March. In the 5:38 the fight lasted, Joshua was very effective, throwing just nine power punches, landing five and sending Ngannou to the canvas three times.

"On the route to the championship, you should always stay focused," said Joshua after the fight.

Now, he has an opportunity to regain a heavyweight title for the first time in more than three years against a younger version of himself in Dubois, who has also revived his career after a ninth-round TKO loss to Usyk in August 2023.

Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs) stopped Jarrell "Big Baby" Miller in 10 rounds back in December, then demolished perennial contender Filip Hrgovic in an eighth-round TKO win in June. Dubois started slowly in that fight but landed more than 42% of his power punches.

"I was rock bottom last year, but now I'm on top," Dubois said after the fight. "I've heard Anthony Joshua is next."

Now that Joshua-Dubois is here, let's look at the title fight by the numbers, with data from ESPN Stats & Information and CompuBox.

-425: Odds for Joshua to win the fight, per ESPN BET.

12: Joshua's number of title fights.

14: Combined number of rounds fought by Joshua in his last three fights since going 24 rounds against Oleksandr Usyk (two defeats).

4: English fighters to hold the IBF heavyweight world title (Dubois, Joshua, Lennox Lewis, Tyson Fury).

0: Previous times Joshua has faced a fellow English fighter in a world title bout.

5: Heavyweights that have enjoyed three reigns as champion (Muhammad Ali, Evander Holyfield, Michael Moorer, Lennox Lewis, Vitali Klitschko). Joshua would join the list with a win over Dubois.

5: English fighters that have won at least 10 world title fights (Chris Eubank, Naseem Hamed, Lennox Lewis, Johnny Nelson, Nigel Benn). Joshua has nine wins in his 12 world title fights

58%: Percentage of power punches landed by Dubois in the 10th and final round to KO Jarrell "Big Baby" Miller. Dubois landed 48% of his power punches overall.

11.7: Punches landed by Joshua per round out of 37.7 thrown in his last 17 fights, below the division's average of 14.3.

25.2%: Percentage of body punches landed by Joshua in his last 17 fights. Dubois lands 22.5%. Both land at a rate lower than the heavyweight average of 29.5%.

22.4%: Percentage of punches landed on Joshua by his last 17 opponents.

7.5: Punches landed on Joshua per round by his past 17 opponents. They connected with only 4.6 power shots, fourth lowest among champions and title contenders.

15: Consecutive victories by Dubois to start his professional career before losing to Joe Joyce in November 2020.

3: Previous Joshua fights inside Wembley Stadium (3-0, 3 KO).

1,000: Lowest attendance for a heavyweight world title fight (Joshua vs. Kubrat Pulev at London's Wembley Arena on Dec. 12, 2020) -- a Guinness world record -- due to COVID-19 restrictions.

90,000: Attendance at Wembley Stadium for Joshua's 11th-round TKO victory over Wladimir Klitschko on April 29, 2017. A crowd of 96,000 is expected for Saturday's fight between Joshua and Dubois, which would set a new post-war record for a crowd at a boxing event in the United Kingdom.

30.2%: Percentage of power punches landed on Dubois by his last five opponents. Usyk landed only 23.5% of his power shots in his fight with Dubois. In comparison, Usyk landed 43% of his power punches in two fights against Joshua.

6: Previous times two English boxers have competed against one another for a heavyweight title.

89%: Joshua's KO rate (25 knockouts in 28 wins).

95%: Dubois' KO rate (20 knockouts in 21 wins).

763: Number of days between title fights for Joshua. His last title fight was on Aug. 20, 2022, against Oleksandr Usyk.

3,087: Days since Joshua won his first heavyweight world title, in a second-round KO of Charles Martin on April 9, 2016.

In their own words -- from Thursday's news conference in London

Joshua on facing Dubois: "We'll find out [what Dubois has to offer]. ...I can't say. I'm not Daniel. All I can do is focus on myself.

"I'm tough and so is he."

Joshua on how he can win the fight: "I could win in a variety of ways. I'm not depending on punch power. It takes a lot more than that to be a great fighter. I've got the fighting spirit and that's how I'll break him down, with my spirit."

Dubois on why he wanted to face Joshua: "It's a resurrection story of my career. I want the big challenges, to make a name for myself and to make history.

"I need to retain this world title. It's a great thing to have but I need to legitimize myself by winning this fight."

Dubois on sparring with Joshua in the past: "It was sparring. Now we're fighting, this is different. ...Move on.

"I'm ready to go and ready to fight. ...I'm not predicting anything."

- ESPN

OLEKSANDR USYK VACATING IBF TITLE AHEAD OF JOSHUA-DUBOIS BOUT

Action Images via Reuters 

 Oleksandr Usyk announced via Instagram on Tuesday that he is vacating the IBF heavyweight title, which now will be on the line when Anthony Joshua fights Daniel Dubois on Sept. 21 at London's Wembley Stadium.

IBF president Daryl Peoples confirmed to ESPN that the heavyweight title was vacant, but refuted reports that Dubois had been elevated to champion, saying no ruling has been made.

The Joshua-Dubois bout will be formally announced at a news conference Wednesday and will be the first Riyadh Season event in the U.K. The first such event outside the kingdom is the Aug. 3 Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov bout in Los Angeles.

Ukraine's Usyk ascended to the top spot in ESPN's pound-for-pound rankings when he defeated Tyson Fury via split decision last month in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the undisputed heavyweight championship.

Now, all four belts won't be on the line when Usyk meets Fury in the Dec. 21 rematch in Riyadh. The WBC, WBA and WBO titles will be up for grabs, but the IBF title will be contested between Joshua and Dubois.

Usyk's mandatory IBF title defense was overdue, and it was ruled going into his fight with Fury that the winner must face the mandatory challenger next or be stripped. With a two-fight deal in place, Usyk's move Tuesday was expected.

Dubois scored an eighth-round TKO victory over Filip Hrgovic, then the No. 1 contender, earlier this month in Riyadh to win the IBF interim title.

"Anthony and Daniel, listen: I know, IBF title important to you," Usyk said in his video Tuesday, calling his decision to vacate the belt "my present to you on Sept. 21."

Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) already owns wins over Joshua and Dubois. He scored consecutive decision victories over Joshua in 2021 and '22 before he knocked Dubois out in Round 9 of their August meeting.

Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) and Dubois both hail from England. Joshua's past two fights took place in Riyadh, and now he'll return to the 90,000-plus-capacity Wembley Stadium, where he has headlined twice. Joshua, 34, is a former two-time heavyweight champion and ranked No. 3 in the division by ESPN. He's coming off a spectacular second-round knockout of former UFC champion Francis Ngannou in March.

Dubois is ESPN's No. 6 heavyweight. His other career defeat came against Joe Joyce, a 10th-round knockout in 2020.

- Mike Coppinger, ESPN Boxing Insider

UEFA PICKS BUDAPEST TO HOST 2026 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL BUT DELAYS 2027 DECISION ON SAN SIRO

AP

 DUBLIN (AP) — UEFA picked Budapest on Wednesday to host the men’s Champions League final in 2026 and delayed giving the 2027 game to Milan amid uncertainty over the future of San Siro.

The Puskás Arena and San Siro were the only two candidates for the two finals scheduled to be awarded. The next final on June 1 is at Wembley Stadium in London and Bayern Munich’s home will host next year.

The iconic San Siro, formally known as Stadio Giuseppe Meazza and owned by the city of Milan, has been under long-term threat of demolition. Its shared tenants AC Milan and Inter Milan have looked for new homes they can own.

UEFA put off a decision until a September meeting of its executive committee subject to the Italian soccer federation “submitting information on refurbishment plans” for San Siro.

Earlier Wednesday, uncertainly increased in Milan as ownership of Inter switched from Chinese corporation Suning to United States investors Oaktree because of failure to repay debts.

The 75,000-seat San Siro still could host the European Cup or Champions League final for the fifth time, one year after staging the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The 70,000-seat Puskás Arena opened five years ago and has been a go-to venue for UEFA, hosting a Europa League final last year and replacement games during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is a big fan of soccer and billionaire banker Sándor Csányi is a FIFA vice president representing UEFA.

UEFA’s executive committee also sent the Women’s Champions League final in 2026 to Oslo, Norway.

Istanbul will host the 2026 Europa League final in the downtown stadium of Besiktas and the 2027 game is going to Eintracht Frankfurt’s home. The 2025 Europa final is in Athletic Bilbao’s stadium, which also hosts the Women’s Champions League final next week.

The third-tier Conference League final in 2026 will also go to Germany, in Leipzig, and in 2027 to Istanbul, potentially also at the Besiktas stadium though that could change.

The Turkish soccer federation said it hopes the 2027 final can move to the new stadium being built in the capital Ankara ahead of the country co-hosting the men's European Championship with Italy in 2032.

Turkey gets to host European finals in back-to-back years while the Romanian national stadium in Bucharest, which last hosted a Europa League final in 2012, lost in votes to bring that title match back.

The Israeli soccer federation had originally entered the Conference League bidding contest last year proposing Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem.

In other UEFA executive committee business ahead of the Europa League final, trials of safe standing areas for fans at European club competition games was extended next season to Austria, Belgium, Netherlands, Portugal and Scotland.

The UEFA-recognized Football Supporters Europe group has run a “Europe Wants to Stand” campaign and welcomed the new additions to consent for trials over the last two seasons in England, France and Germany. Also on the permitted list are Italy and Spain.

“Standing at matches positively contributes to the atmosphere of games enormously, is a significant element of fan culture across the continent, and helps to lower the pricing for these games generally," FSE executive director Ronan Evain said in a statement.

- GRAHAM DUNBAR

FULL MATCH | MANCHESTER CITY VS LIVERPOOL | EMIRATES FA CUP

CRYSTAL PALACE GOING TO WEMBLEY STADIUM | EMIRATES FA CUP

 

BOXING: EPIC BOUT IN LONDON AS ANTHONY JOSHUA STOPS WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO ON THE 11TH ROUND

Anthony Joshua proved his worth at Wembley Stadium when he added a WBA to his IBF crown after knocking Wladimir Kclitschko in a very entertaining and thrilling way...

FA CUP SEMI-FINALS: ARSENAL BEAT MANCHESTER CITY IN EXTRA TIME

Alexis Sanchez drilled the winner for Arsenal as they came from behind to beat Manchester City at Wembley Stadium...

FA CUP SEMI-FINALS: CHELSEA VS. TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 4-2 HIGHLIGHTS

FA CUP SEMI-FINALS: CHELSEA OVERCOME TOUGH TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR IN A 4-2 THRILLER AT WEMBLEY

Chelsea surely were lost at one point but after Antonio Conte made a double sub bringing in Hazard and Diego Costa things changed...

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: TOTTENHAM'S CHANCES ARE DIMMING

Tottenham's chances have hit a majour snag after losing to Bayer 04 Leverkusen 0-1 at Wembley...