James Regan

Tyson Fury criticized current heavyweight titleholders Daniel Dubois, Agit Kabayel, Murat Gassiev and Fabio Wardley as having been handed their belts after Oleksandr Usyk vacated his titles. Preparing for an untelevised charity fight in Thailand ahead of a potential November bout with Anthony Joshua, Fury argued that his rivals lack elite credentials and drawing power. He emphasized the charitable purpose of the event, supporting the Father Ray Foundation, and framed the fight as an opportunity to stay active while demonstrating his independence and star power.

England seek to revive their Nations Championship campaign in an away fixture against Fiji played in Liverpool, following a heavy defeat to South Africa. Fiji enter the match after losing to Wales. England introduce three uncapped players, including Noah Caluori, while Henry Slade returns to the starting lineup for a match viewed as a must‑win to halt a run of defeats.

Karolina Muchova and Linda Noskova prepare to contest an all-Czech Wimbledon women’s final after semifinal wins over Coco Gauff and Marta Kostyuk. Arthur Fery’s unexpected run concluded with a straight-sets loss to Alexander Zverev, ending a landmark performance as the first Wimbledon men’s singles wild card in 25 years to reach the semifinals.

Day 9 of Wimbledon features key matches with Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula and Naomi Osaka in action. Arthur Fery advances to the quarterfinals after another comeback victory, defeating Grigor Dimitrov in five sets to continue his unexpected run as a wild card ranked 114. He will face ninth seed Flavio Cobolli, whom he previously beat at the Australian Open.

Arthur Fery reached the Wimbledon fourth round as a wildcard after a dramatic five‑set win over Zizou Bergs on Court 18, highlighted by multiple nosebleed stoppages and a decisive 10‑5 final‑set tiebreak. The victory marked his first five‑set triumph and made him the first British wildcard to reach this stage since 1993, energizing home fans and briefly interrupting other matches with crowd noise. Fery emphasized resilience as the key to his performance and expressed eagerness to compete on larger courts in the next round.

South Africa delivered a dominant performance to defeat England 45-21 at Ellis Park, surging to an early 17-0 lead and regaining control after halftime following England’s brief recovery to 17-14 at the break. England’s difficulties were compounded by late yellow cards to Tommy Freeman and Guy Pepper, sealing their fifth consecutive defeat in their opening Nations Championship match.

The Nations Championship introduces a biennial North vs. South rugby competition featuring Six Nations teams and southern hemisphere nations competing across July and November rounds before a finals weekend in London. Teams earn points through wins, draws and bonuses, with final placements determining cross-hemisphere matchups. England faces South Africa, Fiji and Argentina in July, followed by home fixtures against Australia, Japan and New Zealand in November. ITV will broadcast the tournament free-to-air in the UK.

Wimbledon maintains long-standing traditions including an all‑white dress code created in the 1800s to hide sweat, a strictly invitation‑only Royal Box reserved for dignitaries and VIPs, and the summer pairing of strawberries and cream rooted in Victorian-era luxury. The All England Club preserves a traditional atmosphere with sign‑free courts and color‑coordinated floral displays, while keeping strawberry prices relatively low despite broader commercialization pressures.