From Nasser Hussain’s farewell century to Rocky Marciano’s perfect legacy and Eric Cantona’s lack of doubt, we salute six triumphant farewellsThe decision had already been made when Nasser Hussain went out for his final Test innings. An international career that spanned 14 years had seen him become perhaps the pivotal figure in the last few decades of English cricket. It was Hussain’s brilliant captaincy that had pulled England up from the nadir of being ranked last in the world and laid the groundwork for Michael Vaughan, the 2005 Ashes and all that. Vaughan got the glory, but he had Steve Harmison, Andrew Flintoff, Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Strauss at their peaks: Hussain’s first Test as captain featured Aftab Habib and...
Scouser offered a refreshing insight on Jorge Linares’s victory over Anthony Crolla that did not fit Sky’s guts-and-glory templateYou don’t have to agree with – or understand – everything Tony Bellew says to appreciate that he knows what he’s talking about. The Scouser is a movie script waiting for a sequel, a cruiserweight world champion with David Haye’s heavyweight scalp hanging from his belly belt, but he also has wit and sensibility that marks him out from the herd with a microphone in his hand.Bellew has grown into an articulate and entertaining ringside analyst for Sky and hit his stride again in Manchester on Saturday night, telling it like it is all through the card. He is not a salesman...
From Carl Froch’s controversial victory over George Groves to Matt Hughes’s implausible recovery against Frank Trigg in Dana White’s favourite ever UFC fightBoxing is a phenomenally complex to-do. Both proactive and reactive, it demands the minute, synchronised adjustment of torso and limbs, in states of excitement and exhaustion, on pane of death and embarrassment. Related: Cracks in Gennady Golovkin’s armour give hope to Álvarez and Saunders | Kevin Mitchell Related: The Joy of Six: Valentine's Day sporting massacres | Barry Glendenning Continue reading...
The world middleweight champion was taken the distance for the first time since 2008 by Daniel Jacobs and his lack of composure gives future challengers hopeIn most sports that matter – cricket, rugby, tennis, golf, football, tiddlywinks – fans get what they want. In boxing, such moments are rare enough to stand alongside listed buildings as crumbling treasures. Well, fans finally got what they wanted at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night. Related: Gennady Golovkin's knockout streak ended in narrow win over Daniel Jacobs Continue reading...
The narcissistic former champion may be one of the greats but prioritised sleep over any show of respect at a recent engagement in LondonFloyd Mayweather deserves to be regarded as the finest defensive boxer of his time and one of the best welterweights in history, although, contrary to his own repeated assertions, not greater than either of the Sugar Rays, Robinson and Leonard.Anyway, what Mayweather does not deserve until he proves otherwise is the respect of British fans who came away from his recent speaking tour livid that he had short-changed them. Related: Michael Conlan: ‘After five years I want to be out of boxing, having made enough money to retire’ “It is undoubtedly a fact that some men of...