Archive July 21, 2025

Josh Taylor, the ex-undisputed world champion, says it’s “sadly necessary” to announce his medical retirement.

The 34-year-old Scot had eye surgery in February of last year, and specialists had advised him that continuing boxing would put his eyes in danger following his defeat by Ekow Essuman in May.

He was the first male fighter to win all four belts in a single division, and he is still the only one.

Right, Taylor said in a statement, “This isn’t a simple post for me to write, but it’s sadly necessary based on the advice of my doctors.

I’ve had a recurring eye condition that, regrettably, has forced me to call a time off my career or risk losing my vision as has been previously reported.

“I know I must listen to the medical professionals and save myself from myself, even though the fighter in me always wants to box on.”

Although it’s not the way I wanted to bow out, I must pay attention to the doctors and those who are close by.

Taylor, a talented amateur, won the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games at the Hydro in Glasgow, beating out his silver medal at the 2010 Games in Delhi, and he represented Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics in London two years later.

Some of Taylor’s best nights would be at that venue, including his victory over Ivan Baranchyk in the 2019 edition of his first world title.

The Scot defeated American legend Regis Prograis in a classic fight in London to reclaim the WBC and IBF light-welterweight titles later that year.

For all four belts, that in turn set up a showdown with Jose Ramirez, a different US fighter, in Las Vegas in May 2021. Taylor became the undisputed champion of the world after defeating Ramirez twice on the way to a points victory.

The decline in Taylor’s career, which included injury and inactivity, has been a blight for the past few years, as a result of a controversial points win over England’s Jack Catterall in February 2022.

He lost the last of his world titles to Teofimo Lopez in New York in 2023 and was defeated by Catterall in their rematch in Leeds last year despite having vacated three of his four belts due to a string of injury issues.

When things started to get a little stale in the interview room at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Owen Farrell had been talking about the honor and excitement he felt after being named the British and Irish Lions captain on Tuesday against First Nations and Pasifika XV.

Deep and compelling. honest and captivating. Following his brief absence from England and his first test match appearance in 20 months, the fly-half was called up for the Lions, which was his fourth such tour.

Few, if any, global game players are as adept at turning quiet conversations into verbal fights as Farrell. True but ridiculous.

His name stokes heated debate, both positive and negative, and that was how his father called him up in the middle of the tour. In Cyberland, skin and hair flies.

He was asked if he understood this irrational phenomenon and the incredible passion he engenders in rugby players at Marvel Stadium.

He responded, “Not really, no,” to his question. “No, not really”, the 33-year-old repeated.

“But I now realize how it’s different. I am aware that circumstances change and that things change more quickly.

Things “grow legs, take on their own, go wherever they go, and have momentum behind them,” they say. No, I don’t always comprehend it.

There was confusion there. a little depressing, almost. The former England captain was admired for his talent, leadership, unwavering spirit, and ability to let the negativity he faced over him. He rose to the position of being one of the greatest players of his generation.

However, it has a toll. He is not a machine. When he spoke, the barriers were removed slightly, and we saw a different side of him. It was also fascinating.

There is a lot of praise for him online, as well as a lot of poison. Can he completely block it?

He said, “Both are poisons.”

as in both?

The positive and negative aspects. Not to say it’s all bad, he continued, “The things that should matter to me and to our as players are the things that matter to us.”

You wouldn’t really listen to someone’s response if you knock on someone’s door and ask them how you played on the weekend.

“I guess your mates are the true rugby players who I think we should listen to.” Not that you’ll just get patted on the back by those people.

You will receive a genuine response from someone who will tell you where it is at the same time.

“You can deal with it if you do that and you’re in a good place yourself.”

Is it difficult to stop the skepticism and lunacy that have been aimed at you, though?

There are times when someone can say this, that, and the other and it just goes over your head, he said, “it depends where you’re at the time.”

Farrell claims that despite playing for less than 30 minutes in more than two months, he feels good. He has been stifling training and is eager to “rip in” on Tuesday.

You can tell that he has become more energetic after the tour. He mentions Mack Hansen as one of the top people he has been drawn to and the players he has roomed with, as well as the crack he has had.

He said, “We had a right laugh along the way.” There are some excellent characters in this film.

Could his joy inspire him to soon re-enter with England as a result? Maro Itoje, the team’s captain, has stated that he hoped to succeed.

Farrell left the England team after the 2023 World Cup to “prioritize his and his family’s mental well-being,” and he was then excluded from selection after spending a season in France with Racing.

Farrell claims that he is only paying attention to the Lions because he is now available again.

“I’m fervent to enjoy what I’m doing,” I declare. He declared, “I’m determined to love every second of the game that I have left,” adding, “I’m determined to love every second.”

When someone asks him about how this tour might have shown that he has life left, he jokes.

“Life is still in me,” What are you trying to do to me, flipping the heck? I’m not yet old. Johnny [Sexton] continued to play. I’m undoubtedly a half-back as well. We still have a lot to do.

Because it is not in his best interest, he won’t get into the England story.

He said, “My focus is on what is here in front of me,” adding, “. Making sure I’m myself when I return to Saracens. We’ll see if I follow that path, and I’ll enjoy it.

I do have a perspective, I suppose. There are undoubtedly many external factors that could influence me, but who I am ultimately is up to me. ensuring that I am protecting myself.

On Tuesday, Farrell, the Lions’ captain, expressed gratitude for the status his father had granted him.

He said, “We have a great opportunity to kick off and keep us moving in the right direction,” based on what the boys did when they won the first Test.

At this point in the tour, we played the Rebels [twelve years ago]. One of the games I really enjoyed playing was that.

I participated in the first two Tests but did not succeed in the other two. But I do recall playing Rebels with great enthusiasm. We had some fantastic rugby.

Every action we take affects the group’s mood and the team’s energy, according to the statement. We want to ensure that the bus is happy.

If the American football team doesn’t return to their original name, President Donald Trump has threatened to halt a deal for the Washington Commanders’ new stadium.

The US president claimed in a post on Truth Social on Sunday that there is “a big clamour” for the Redskins to switch back to them and that doing so would increase the team’s value.

After a review, the NFL team decided to change the name to Redskins in July 2020 because it had long been viewed as racist and offensive toward Native Americans. Before changing to the Commanders in 2022, they were known as the Washington Football Team during the 2020 campaign.

A deal was reached in April to allow the Commanders to construct a new, $ 3 billion, 65, 000-seat stadium on the site of RFK Stadium, which was their home from 1961 to 1997.

A prominent Republican politician urged the DC Council to approve the stadium plans last week.

Trump wrote, “I may put a cap on them,” saying that I won’t negotiate for them to build a stadium in Washington if they don’t return to the original Washington Redskins and get rid of the ridiculous moniker Washington Commanders.

The team would be much more valuable, and everyone would enjoy the deal more.

Trump became the first sitting president to watch the Super Bowl with a 40-yard victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in February of this year.

Trump also urged Cleveland Indians and Cleveland Guardians to revert to their 2021 name, which they had changed.

Trump said, “Our great Indian people want this to happen in large numbers.” They are consistently losing their prestige and heritage.

Not something I’m tracking or paying much attention to, according to Chris Antonetti, the Guardians team president.