If you have ever watched a Tyson Fury press conference, you will know they don’t often follow the “Q&A” format.

So when WBC world heavyweight champion Fury, 32, and American challenger Deontay Wilder, 35, faced each other in Los Angeles on Tuesday, something was bound to happen.

The pair were appearing to preview their third fight, which takes place on Saturday, 24 July in Las Vegas.

Sadly, there was no Batman costume this time.

In fact, there was almost no clothing at all as Fury walked on stage topless, in just a pair of white jeans (with his own face on – of course) and a backwards baseball cap.

But that wasn’t even the most bizarre moment of the press event.

Here are a few contenders for that title.

When Wilder refused to speak

Wilder, who was defeated when the pair met for the second time in 2020, only stepped up to the microphone to say he wasn’t going to say anything.

After thanking Jesus, his training team and his lawyers, he said: “Look, enough said. Time to cut off his head. And come July 24, there will be blood shed.”

And that was it. Wilder put his headphones on and didn’t say another word, with his trainer Malik Scott speaking for him throughout the press conference.

Asked about his opponent’s behaviour, Fury said it “showed how weak a mental person he is” and that the previous loss has had “an emotional and physical effect on his life”.

Hat’s off to Crystina Poncher, the ESPN commentator, who had the tough job of hosting the event. She continued to press Scott for responses, barely blinking at the fact one of the fighters was point-blank ignoring her questioning.

When Fury and Scott talked eardrums

As Wilder wasn’t going to hit back at Fury’s constant stream of put-downs, Scott could only respond and defend his athlete.

But Fury decided to make it personal, reminding him of an occasion when the pair sparred.

“You can’t expect him to do something you couldn’t do,” he said to Scott – a former heavyweight fighter who lost to Britain’s Derek Chisora for the vacant WBO International heavyweight title in 2013.

Scott hit back by saying: “You are a 260lb man that can fight – you burst my eardrum the first time we sparred – that’s not something to brag about, that’s what you do!”

Fury, perhaps a little frustrated by this, further questioned Scott’s expertise, saying: “You can’t teach him to be some great fighter when you [weren’t].”

The back and forth continued a little longer, with eardrums mentioned once or twice more by both men, before Fury, in typical Fury-style, rounded off the debate.

Speaking to the assembled media, he laughed: “While we are on the subject of eardrums, don’t you find it funny that I have busted the eardrums of both trainer and fighter?”

Fury went on to mention that he was aiming to reach the “300lb mark” by the fight, saying he was looking for “a big knockout straight away”.

When Fury and Wilder faced off for nearly six minutes

The press conference ended with both men in the classic “face off photo op” position, with Fury once again removing his jacket especially for it.

But both fighters’ determination to win the staring contest appeared to become a little tedious for the expectant media.

After around two minutes of the pair staring menacingly into one another’s eyes, and with Fury’s taunts having to become even more creative, (“The bogey man is here to get you again”), one or two members of the press requested they face the cameras for a final snap.

But the request was ignored by both fighters for a further four minutes until Wilder eventually replaced his sunglasses and walked off stage right.

Thus concluded one of the most bizarre press conferences the boxing world has ever seen.

Fury summed it up.

“Thank you for turning out for this one sided press conference,” he said.

This year’s Wimbledon men’s and women’s singles finals will be played with full crowds in attendance on Centre Court, the All England Club said on Monday (June 14).

They will be the first outdoor sporting events in the United Kingdom to have capacity crowds since the start of the coronavirus pandemic last year.

The move comes despite British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement on Monday that the final stage of easing lockdown restrictions was being delayed to July 19.

“We are pleased to have worked closely with the government, public health bodies, and our local authority in Merton, to confirm that…..the Championships 2021 will begin on Monday 28 June with 50 per cent capacity across the Grounds, building to full capacity crowds of 15,000 on Centre Court for the Finals weekend,” the All England Club said.

Wimbledon was cancelled last year for the first time since World War II because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ronaldo netted a double to become the European Championship’s all-time leading scorer as Portugal struck three times late on to beat a stubborn Hungary 3-0 in their Euro 2020 opener at a packed Puskas Arena on Tuesday (June 15).

The holders, who appear to have a much stronger squad than when they won their first major title five years ago, laboured for long periods in Budapest.

But Raphael Guerreiro made the vital breakthrough in the 84th minute and Ronaldo slammed in a penalty shortly afterwards before tapping home in injury time.

“It was essential to start on the right foot in order to gain confidence,” said Ronaldo. “Now, we have to continue and win the next game.”

The Juventus striker has now scored 11 goals in the tournament, two more than French great Michel Platini, who netted nine times when he led France to glory in 1984.

The 36-year-old is also just three goals away from matching Iranian Ali Daei’s all-time international scoring record of 109.

“It was a difficult game, against an opponent who defended very well during 90 minutes, but we scored three goals, and I am very grateful to the team for helping me to score two goals,” he added.

Ronaldo chose by far the biggest crowd of the tournament to break the record in front of, with Budapest the only Euro 2020 venue not to limit fan capacity due to Covid-19.

The Puskas Arena has a capacity of almost 68,000 fans.

“We didn’t deserve a 3-0 defeat, with a bit of luck it could have been a point each, but it was an experience of a lifetime,” said Hungary goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi.

World Cup winners France and three-time European champions Germany meet in the other Group F game later in the day at Munich’s Allianz Arena.

Portugal coach Fernando Santos opted to play Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and Bernardo Silva alongside Ronaldo, with Joao Felix left on the bench.

It almost paid instant dividends, as Jota forced Gulacsi into a smart save with a left-footed drive in the fourth minute, although he perhaps should have squared the ball for an unmarked Ronaldo.

The Portuguese talisman created an opportunity for Bernardo Silva in the 28th minute by winning the ball back high up the pitch, only for the Manchester City winger to delay his shot too long and see the opening snuffed out by an excellent tackle from Hungary centre-back Willi Orban.

Hungary offered very little from open play, although they sent Portugal a warning shortly before half-time when Adam Szalai headed a free-kick too close to Rui Patricio.

Ronaldo misses glorious chance

The best chance of the opening period fell to Ronaldo in the 44th minute, only for the Portugal captain to plant the ball over from six yards out after meeting Guerreiro’s low cross.

Portugal came out of the blocks quickly after the break, knowing failure to win would put them in trouble in such a difficult group, with Pepe seeing a downward header well saved by the stretching Gulacsi.

Santos’ men continued to press despite Hungary growing in confidence, with Bruno Fernandes drawing Gulacsi into another fine stop with a dipping strike from long range.

Despite having Felix, in-form Eintracht Frankfurt striker Andre Silva and Pedro Goncalves, last season’s top scorer in the Portuguese league, on the bench, Santos waited until the 71st minute to make a change, sending on Rafa Silva for Bernardo Silva.

Hungary thought they had snatched a shock lead through substitute Szabolcs Schon, but he was denied by the offside flag.

Rafa Silva played a key role in the opening goal, though, as his deflected cross was met by Guerreiro, whose shot also took a huge deflection and dribbled agonisingly into the corner of the Hungarian net.

The home side’s resistance was totally over three minutes later, as Orban pulled back Rafa Silva clean through on goal.

Ronaldo made no mistake, sending Gulacsi the wrong way to add another record to his collection on the day he became the first player in history to play at five European Championships.

There was more to come from Ronaldo, as he danced through after a one-two with Rafa Silva and rolled in his 106th goal for Portugal.

Super Falcons’ coach Randy Waldrum has hailed the performance of the players for the dramatic comeback against Portugal at the Summer Series Invitational Tournament in the United States.

Falcons trailed the Portuguese 2-0 and 3-1 at some stages in the game but their spirited efforts paid off after Rasheedat Ajibade scored in stoppage time to ensure both sides settled for a 3-3 draw in their second game of the tournament.

Speaking after the tie, Waldrum praised the resilience of Nigeria’s women’s national team but warned that the team must work on their defensive frailties to have a chance against the host United States on Thursday.

“I’m so proud of you girls with the fight we had and the way we came back,” Waldrum said. You were down by two goals two times in the game and you still mustered a comeback. It is a very difficult task to do but you stayed on and kept on pushing. You still have a lot to work on absolutely we will continue from here.

“This is something we are going to build on to make us better to show that we are a good team and that we can fight and come back. That we are always in the team until the end of the game.”

Nigeria’s women handball team will today take on hosts Cameroon in the battle for one of the slots in the World Championships as both teams clash in the quarter-final of the ongoing African Women’s Handball Championship.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a win against Cameroon will not only ensure Nigeria’s qualification for the championship’s semi-finals but the World Championships billed for Spain.

Nigeria last qualified for a spot in the top four at the 1992 edition of the championship, held in Morocco. To qualify for the quarter-finals, as one of the two best-losers, the Nigerian team defeated Kenya 26-21 in their last group match, after earlier losses to DR Congo and Cameroon. Nigeria’s qualification, however, was on the basis of the two games played and not the win over Kenya, as Guinea’s win over Madagascar on game day three did not count.

Guinea and Nigeria were ranked on the strength of the games they played against the top two qualifying teams in their groups

The Federal Government has inaugurated the Board of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) after the successful conduct of the elections to fill executive position of the association saddled with the control of the nation’s exploit in the track and field events.

Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare who inaugurated the newly elected Board members at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium Abuja, on Tuesday, called on them to avoid the pitfalls of the past, by following the constitution and ensuring that stakeholders were carried along in order to ensure the federation records more podium appearances in sporting activities.

Dare, who stated that the election was a new dawn for track and field in Nigeria as exemplified by the way the election was conducted, strictly in accordance with the 2017 Constitution of the Federation as recommended by both World Athletics and Confederation of African Athletics, shows that a new seed of hope has evolved for the good of sports development in the country.

He stated further that the AFN Board was the legitimately constituted and recognized body duly elected by the Congress of the AFN and recognized by the Federal Government of Nigeria and by extension the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development.

He therefore urged the Board to operate within the tenets of their Constitution as recognized by Government under which sports is being governed, stressing that, “no Federation is autonomous, as all the 38 Federations operate under the guidelines of Government.

The Minister, while assuring that Government continue to partner with both continental and intercontinental bodies, charged with the development of athletics in order to encourage and improve the young and talented youths of the country, called on the Board not to compromise the welfare of athletes.

He expressed delight that under his watch as Minister of Youth and Sports Development, “the Sports Federation has been fulfilling our expectations of them and the AFN in the last 18 Months has risen up to the challenges occasioned by the crisis that engulfed it since September 2017.”

He explained that Government recognized the and place of their Constitutions and their operationalization which must respect the laws of Nigeria.

“Our laws are clear and it is upon the laws of Nigeria that the Ministry governs the Sports Sector. Like I said earlier, this is a new dawn for athletics and we shall duly inform your parent body, World Athletics pursuant to articles 7.5 and 9.1. (e) of 2019 World Athletics Constitution that Chief Tonobok Okowa has been elected by the AFN Congress to lead as President is the recognized governing body for the Sport in Nigeria by the Nigerian Government.”

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Engr Nebolisa Anako assured the Board of the Ministry’s support to ensure the full development of sporting activities and youth empowerment in line with the policy thrust of the President Muhammadu Buhari Administration.

He enjoined the AFN Board members to roll up their sleeves and put the country on the path of success.

The newly elected AFN President, Chief Tonobok Ojuru Okowa assured that the AFN Board will hit the ground running to ensure effective performance of Nigerian athletes, not just at the Olympic but also to make Nigeria take its rightful place in Africa and the world at large.
‘’We will achieve this by putting in place a good welfare package for the athletes that will enhance their performance and ensure Nigerian athletes come back with medals at Tokyo to do the nation proud’’, he said.

The newly inaugurated 12-board members of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria are expected to serve for the period of four years, effective from the day of inauguration. Their names are as follows:

1 Chief Tonobok Ojuru Okowa President
2 Gadzama Tafida Wadzani 1st Vice President
3 Mrs Rosa Collins Okah 2nd Vice President
4 Amb. Manta Haruna Mohammed Member
5 Hon.Yusuf Liman Dahiru Member
6 Mr. Victor Okorie Member
7 Mr. Solomon Alao Member
8 SC Onikeku Samuel  Member
9 Technical/Coaches Rep Member
10 Prof. Emmanuel Ojeme Member
11 Mrs Maria Wophil Member
12 Mr. Henry Okorie

Vice-Chairman of Lagos State Athletics Association, Yusuf Alli, has declared that the 10km Festac Half Marathon would be used as a benchmark to select athletes for the Lagos City Marathon.

He made the remark over the weekend in Festac, after an inspection tour of the routes earmarked for the 10km half marathon.

The technical team inspected the route marked out for the event.

The Olympian said that a community-based event, such as the Festac half marathon would help to improve the fitness level and preparedness of the elite athletes in the Country.

Project Consultant, for the marathon, renowned Showbiz Guru, Edi Lawani, stated that the marathon is a celebration of fitness, while enjoining every individual, within Festac and its environs to be part of the one-day event.

The 10km Festac half marathon is an initiative of Lexicon Communications, is slated to hold on the 2nd of October in Festac and it’s open to all Nigerians.

The winner in the men’s and women’s event will share N2m cash prize.