Getty ImagesCharlotte CoatesBBC Sport journalist32 minutes agoSuper-middleweight Callum Simpson picked himself up off the canvas twice before securing a stunning stoppage victory over Ivan Zucco in his home town of Barnsley.Simpson, 28, made history as he maintained his unbeaten record (18-0) to become the town’s first European champion when he stopped Italy’s Zucco in the 10th round at Barnsley FC’s Oakwell Stadium. The Englishman dedicated the win to his sister, Lily-Rae Simpson, who died aged 19 in a car accident in Greece last year.”Not once did I give up, in those last few rounds I’ll be honest I started thinking about my little sister Lily,” Simpson said.”I’ll be honest, I just thought I had to push for her and for everybody. This time last year, Lily was sat up here cheering me on and she was there with me tonight when it got tough, when it got hard.”From round eight, I thought, ‘I’ve got to dig deep, I’ve got to keep pushing, I’ve got to do it for her’. She was with me tonight.”With the win, Simpson puts himself in prime contention for a step up to world level by the end of the year.But the raucous Oakwell crowd feared the worse with only eight seconds on the clock in in the opening round when Zucco downed Simpson with a hard left hand.Simpson shook off the early knockdown and buzzed Zucco with some fine punching of his own, but the home favourite was caught too square in the third round, dropped for the second time by a left hand.Spurred on by 23,000 inside the football ground, Simpson was not to be deterred and he continued to advance – taking a number of risks along the way.Simpson sensed an opening in the 10th round as he stalked Zucco before launching a stunning left uppercut on the chin of his opponent – who then sank to his knees before beating the 10-count.Zucco was subjected to another punishing uppercut and slumped to his knees but he bravely rose on the count of eight, until a third knockdown meant the Italian’s corner pulled their man out of the fight. Getty ImagesGetty ImagesGetty ImagesRelated topicsBoxing

17 minutes agoCanadian Open third round leaderboard-14 R Fox (NZ), M Manassero (Ita); -13 L Hodges (US), M McCarty (US), K Yu (Tai); -12 J Knapp (US), M Hughes (Can), A PutnamSelected others: -11 C Champ (US), V Perez (Fra), D Skinns (Eng); -10 S Lowry (Ire), D Willett (Eng); -9 L Aberg (Swe); -7 H Hall (Eng), P Waring (Eng); -4 R MacIntyre Full leaderboardGetty ImagesItalian Matteo Manassero and New Zealand’s Ryan Fox were tied for the lead after the third round at a closely contested Canadian Open.Manassero and Fox both carded rounds of 64, each including seven birdies and one bogey as they moved to 14 under.”It was a really good round,” said Manassero, whose bogey came at the 17th hole before he recovered the stroke with a birdie at the last.”I missed the short one on 17, and I did miss a couple more short ones. I try to think of them just like a shot really, like a driver, like a six-iron, whatever. It’s just a shot.”It wasn’t that hard for me to stay focused into what I was doing and not ruining [it] at the end.”Manassero will be chasing his first PGA Tour title, while Fox is seeking a second just a month after his first triumph on the tour at the Myrtle Beach Classic.”Obviously there’s a lot of good players behind me,” said Fox. “I feel like it’s going to take a pretty low [score] to get the job done.” Lee Hodges and Kevin Yu both shot seven under par rounds of 63 and sit one back along with Matt McCarty. A 65 from England’s David Skinns moved him on to 11 under along with seven other players, including overnight leader Cameron Champ.Champ could only manage a one over-par 71 at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley.England’s Danny Willett (67) and Ireland’s Shane Lowry (68) are a shot further back on 10 under.Related topicsGolf

PA Media27 minutes agoStephen Bunting beat fellow Englishman Rob Cross 8-4 in the final of the Nordic Masters in Denmark to claim his second World Series title of the year. In a race to eight legs, the two were tied at 3-3 at the break before Bunting hit double top and broke the throw after Cross failed to take out 40 in the seventh leg.Bunting produced a 104 finish to go 5-3 up and continued his run to five straight legs to move four clear at 7-3 and one away from victory against a struggling Cross.Bunting missed bull as he nearly finished with a 170 but he secured victory by cleaning up the remaining 25 on his next visit.”The way I’ve been playing, I was wondering if I was going to win another title again,” Bunting, who won the Bahrain Masters in January, told ITV. “My doubles have been atrocious over the last couple of months. It’s something I need to work on. “But, when you win titles like this against the calibre of players that I’m playing week-in week-out, it means an awful lot.”Luke Littler and Luke Humphries had both been knocked out in the quarter-finals.World champion Littler suffered a 6-3 loss to Nathan Aspinall, who was beaten 7-5 by Bunting in the semi-finals.Defending champion Gerwyn Price won 6-3 to end the challenge of world number one Humphries but the Welshman lost 7-4 to Cross in the last four.Related topicsDarts

Getty ImagesAlex HowellBBC Sport football news reporter in Barcelona4 minutes agoCommentsThomas Tuchel criticised England’s “attitude” and felt they “played with fire” in a narrow 1-0 World Cup qualifying win away to Andorra.The Three Lions laboured against the world’s 173rd-ranked side in Barcelona, squeezing out a third successive win through captain Harry Kane’s 50th-minute strike to top Group K.Tuchel’s men were jeered off the pitch at half-time and again at the end, leaving the England manager “not happy” with the disappointing display.”I was most worried in the last 20 minutes because I did not like the attitude that we ended the game with,” said the German.”I didn’t like the lack of urgency and it did not match the occasion – it is still a World Cup qualifier. We will let them know [on Sunday] what we want from them.”I think we lacked the seriousness and the urgency that is needed in a World Cup qualifier.”I think we played with fire. I didn’t like the attitude in the end. I didn’t like the body language. It was not what the occasion needed.”England dominated the ball with 83 per cent possession, but frustratingly could not break down Andorra’s well-organised defence and were mainly restricted to efforts from distance.Kane slid home the winner from a Noni Madueke cross for his 72nd international goal, but the Three Lions had few clear-cut chances.England next face Senegal in a friendly at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground on Tuesday and Tuchel expects a better performance.”I think we started well in the first 20 or 25 minutes,” he added. “We created a lot of chances and half chances, and we lost completely the momentum and couldn’t get it back in the first half.”Got a little bit [back] in the second half, but then ended up in a place that was not good enough in terms of urgency.”We can just admit that, it’s not what we expect from us. We need to look at it in detail and do better on Tuesday.”‘They looked bored’ – why were England below par?There were some mitigating circumstances for England’s lethargic display.The match came at the end of a long domestic campaign for many of the players and was also played in hot and humid conditions in Barcelona – this fixture played there because Andorra’s national stadium was unavailable after the recent Games of the Small States of Europe.But those watching clearly expected England to put in a more convincing performance against a side they had beaten six times previously by an aggregate score of 25-0.”It looked like some of the players were bored in the last half an hour,” former Manchester United and Republic of Ireland captain Roy Keane told ITV.”Go and get some more goals and impress the manager who is still new to the job.”Ex-England defender Lee Dixon added: “They will be getting pelters no doubt about that. “When you are fourth [in the rankings] and they are 173rd you expect to beat them handsomely, but that wasn’t the case.”Former Manchester City midfielder Michael Brown agreed the performance was poor, but the priority was to get the job done in the bid for qualification to next year’s finals.”It was a big disappointment but they did the job and won the game,” he said on BBC Radio 5 Live.”It could have been a lot more convincing in attacking positions. There is going to be criticism because of the team we were up against, but it is job done, move on to the next one.”Henderson start was ‘well deserved’Getty ImagesTuchel made five changes from the England team that beat Latvia 3-0 at Wembley in March and played Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones at right-back and Reece James at left-back as he tried to make the most of England’s control of the ball.And the 51-year-old handed a surprise start to Ajax midfielder Jordan Henderson, his first for his country since 17 November, 2023.Declan Rice, one of England’s key players came off the bench in the 81st minute as Tuchel used the match to have a look at options within his squad. “Declan [Rice] looked a little bit out of rhythm and I think Jordan [Henderson] deserved to play.” said the England boss. “And also for what Jordan brings to this group, well deserved.”We started well and then lost the rhythm and precision and also the energy to be more decisive and score more goals.”It is necessary that we look at it and then present in detail to the players what we don’t like, what we want to do better and what are the standards.”‘Dangerous’ Madueke takes chance to shine Getty ImagesChelsea winger Madueke has had a bright start to his England career.The 23-year-old registered an assist on his Three Lions debut against Finland last September, and his pass for Kane’s winner was his third in six international appearances.England tried to use his pace to get behind the Andorra defence and Madueke was constantly positive on the ball, repeatedly trying to beat his man.He created the most chances with four, and also had the most touches in the opposition box of any player (12).”He was, over the course of the match, the most dangerous. I could feel his hunger to do what was the plan throughout the whole of the match.” said Tuchel.”The message got across because we had a good 25 minutes, but then the energy and the determination weren’t there anymore. Then it looks like it does.”Madueke started the match on the left wing to give England width, the opposite side to where he usually plays for Chelsea.His display could give him a chance of making the position his own as no-one in the England squad has regularly been able to shine in that spot.Related topicsFootballEngland Men’s Football Team

Getty ImagesJonathan JurejkoBBC Sport tennis news reporter at Roland Garros7 June 2025, 17:07 BST454 CommentsUpdated 50 minutes agoCoco Gauff won the first French Open singles title of her career by fighting back to beat world number one Aryna Sabalenka in a rollercoaster final.American second seed Gauff claimed a 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 6-4 victory after a tense battle between the WTA Tour’s two leading players in testing conditions.It is the second Grand Slam singles triumph of Gauff’s career, adding to the US Open title she won in 2023, also by beating Belarus’ Sabalenka.”I think this [Grand Slam] win was harder than the first because you don’t want to get satisfied with just that one,” said 21-year-old Gauff.Gauff recovered from a difficult start where she trailed by a double break, eventually finding her rhythm and benefiting from a huge number of mistakes from 27-year-old Sabalenka.”This hurts so much. Congratulations to Coco – she was a better player than me,” said Sabalenka, who was also bidding for her first Roland Garros title.A stiff breeze played havoc with serve in the opening two sets, leading to the pair exchanging 12 breaks in an entertaining if not high-quality affair.Gauff, who lost in the 2022 final, settled quicker in the deciding third set to move a break up and kept her nerve to serve out victory.She had to survive another break point before winning her second championship point, falling to the clay on her back when Sabalenka pushed a forehand wide.With her parents Candi and Corey dancing euphorically in the stands, Gauff shared an affectionate hug with Sabalenka before running off court to celebrate with her family.From tears of pain to tears of joy – Gauff’s redemptionGauff’s previous appearance in the French Open singles showpiece, when she was still a teenager, ended in her covering her head with a towel as she sobbed on her chair.It was the defining image of her defeat by Iga Swiatek, but she vowed to come back stronger – and she has.”I was going through a lot of things when I lost here three years ago,” Gauff said.”I’m just glad to be back here. I was going through a lot of dark thoughts.”Three years on, Gauff returned to the final as a Grand Slam champion, having fulfilled the potential promised by winning in New York.A productive clay-court swing, taking her to the Madrid and Rome finals, meant she arrived in Paris considered a sounder bet than defending champion Swiatek.”Three finals… I guess I got the most important win – that’s all that matters,” said Gauff.Only Sabalenka, who beat her to the Madrid title, had performed better and it was therefore unsurprising the top two seeds met again with the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen at stake.The tricky conditions met neither woman was able to play their best tennis, but Gauff showed indefatigable spirit and will to win.Like in 2022 after her defeat by Poland’s Iga Swiatek, there were more tears for Gauff – this time, ones of joy.Getty ImagesSabalenka falls short in clay questThe consistency of Sabalenka across all surfaces over the past three years has been unparalleled.After excelling on hard courts, she has developed her game to become a force on clay and grass.By reaching the Paris last eight, Sabalenka was the first player to reach the quarter-finals at 10 consecutive Grand Slams since American great Serena Williams in 2017.But she fell agonisingly short of landing her first major on the slower clay surface.All three of her previous major triumphs came on the quicker hard courts at the Australian Open and US Open.After collecting her runners-up prize, Sabalenka fought back tears and apologised to her team for “playing a terrible final”.Like in her semi-final win over defending champion Swiatek, Sabalenka started aggressively and confidently to move a double break ahead.She was a point away from a 5-1 lead but her dominance quickly disappeared as Gauff fought back.Despite recovering from 5-3 down in the tie-break, Sabalenka continued to be animated and regularly chastised herself.It meant she was unable to stem the flow of mistakes from her racquet, with a huge total of 70 unforced errors illustrating her difficulties.Related topicsTennis

Getty ImagesFfion WynneBBC Sport journalist at Taunton7 June 2025, 12:12 BSTUpdated 29 minutes agoEngland spinner Sophie Ecclestone will take a break from domestic cricket as she manages a quad injury and to “prioritise her wellbeing”. Ecclestone, 26, was left out of England’s first squad under new coach Charlotte Edwards because she was recovering from a knee injury. She played for the UP Warriorz in India’s Women’s Premier League in February but was sidelined for two months and missed the beginning of Lancashire’s domestic season. The left-arm spinner has since played two one-day matches and six T20s for her county, but was withdrawn from their match against Hampshire on Tuesday because of the quad problem. At this stage, Ecclestone, who is the number one-ranked ODI bowler in the world, remains available for England’s white-ball series against India, which begins on 28 June at Trent Bridge. In the statement announcing the break Edwards said England were “totally behind” the decision and “want to be able to select” Ecclestone for the India series. Speaking after their win over West Indies in the third ODI, Edwards added: “We’ve been in constant communication over the last couple of months. Soph’s had a really tough six months in many ways, the Ashes and then coming back and having that knee injury and not being quite ready for this series.”I’m almost certain she’ll be up for selection for the India series and both us just want Soph back in this team and in a really good place, really happy. I think hopefully this little break she’s going will help her do that. “She’s obviously one of the best spinners in the world. We’re going to have some selection headaches over the next week or so but what we wanted to create within this team is that people come in and perform. There’s been some wonderful performances. “We’ve got four of the best spinners in world cricket at moment, which we’re blessed to have, and going into a World Cup in India, who knows, we could be taking all four of them. Sophie’s going to be a massive part of that as well.”England insisted Ecclestone’s omission from the squad for the ongoing West Indies series was not related to the controversy that overshadowed an awful Ashes tour of Australia earlier this year. During England’s 16-0 series defeat Ecclestone refused to take part in a TV interview conducted by former team-mate Alex Hartley, following her criticism of England’s fitness during the T20 World Cup in November.England have comfortably beaten West Indies, winning both the one-day international and T20 series, but are expected to face a much greater challenge against India, who are also hosting the 50-over World Cup at the end of September. “Mental health is so important,” Hartley told BBC Test Match Special during the final ODI against West Indies at Taunton.”If she [Ecclestone] feels she needs a refresh and if she’s going to miss a series or a bit of domestic cricket, but it means she’s fit for the World Cup, ultimately that’s what we want.”Related topicsEngland Women’s Cricket TeamCricket