James McClean backed to beat Jake Paul in boxing fight
Wrexham captain James McClean has been tipped to triumph over Jake Paul in what would be the Irishman's first foray into professional boxing.
The winger-turned-fullback has long admired the sweet science, having trained previously with former pro Derry Matthews and Tony Pulis believes he could beat YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul.
The former Stoke and West Brom boss, speaking to OLBG, said: "Nobody, nobody would want to fight James McClean in the boxing ring. I've seen him at West Brom.
"He has got the fastest hands of any professional footballer I've seen. He was on the bag and on the gloves. James, without question.
"Like I say, I've got a lot of time for James. He mishandles himself at times in respect of what he says and what he does.
"But he's a great, great, great kid. I've got a lot of time for him. I've seen him with the gloves on.
"You wouldn't want to go in a ring against him. Against Jake Paul? McClean all day long."
Paul, 28, holds a professional record of 11-1, with his only loss coming to former Love Island contestant Tommy Fury in a much-publicised clash.
This comes after McClean was tipped to "do damage" to another YouTuber-turned-boxer KSI in a mooted clash between the two.
The former Stoke and Wigan man was lucky to escape injury after being involved in a car crash on his way to Wrexham training in January.
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Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
Ireland's Jack Raftery and Sharlene Mawdsley take centre stage at European Athletics Team Championships
Raftery became just the second Irishman in history to break 45 seconds for 400m when clocking 44.98 to finish fourth in the men's race, while Mawdsley made a hugely impressive return to racing – the Tipperary sprinter clocking a season's best of 50.93 to finish third in the women's race. Their performances helped Ireland climb to fifth at the halfway stage, their tally of 192 points putting them within touching distance of the top three in division two: Norway (228), Belgium (226.5) and Slovenia (214.5). The top three nations will gain promotion to the first division on Sunday evening, with the bottom three relegated. The Irish didn't have any winners on day one and while Raftery might not have accrued the most points, his run was the standout individual showing, as the 24-year-old Dubliner hacked a massive chunk off his previous best of 45.75 to move second on the Irish all-time list behind David Gillick's national record of 44.77. 'I can't believe that,' he said. 'I don't have the words. I was coming in thinking if I ran 45.5, I'd be delighted.' Raftery has been working under coaches Gerard O'Donnell and Aideen Sinnott at the Dublin Sprint Club and having gone to the Paris Olympics as a substitue for the mixed relay, he's now in a great position to make the Tokyo World Championships as an individual as his time is just shy of the automatic standard of 44.85. Mawdsley, running her first race since the Grand Slam Track event in Philadelphia in late May, turned in an excellent showing to dip under 51 seconds for the first time this year, not far off the PB of 50.71 she ran at the Paris Olympics. The race was won by Slovakia's Emma Zapletalova in 50.76. 'I don't even know how I made it around,' said Mawdsley, who was running her first race since the death of her father Thomas (Tucker) in early June. 'A season's best is great. It's a shame I didn't come first, I would have loved the top points.' Mawdsley said she is uncertain of her plans for the coming weeks, adding: 'Today was just about getting out there and doing my family proud.' The action closed with a huge performance by the Irish in the men's 4x100m where Michael Farrelly, Sean Aigboboh, Marcus Lawler and Israel Olatunde broke the national record for the second time in eight days, clocking 38.88 to win their heat and finish second overall. 'It's a great run,' said Lawler. 'There's a lot of effort gone into this over the years. We're all delighted.' Bori Akinola had to withdraw from that race after sustaining an injury in the 100m, where he finished fourth in his heat, and eighth overall, clocking 10.62 into a 2.2m/s headwind. The Irish 4x100m women's team of Sarah Leahy, Ciara Neville, Lauren Roy and Sarah Lavin clocked 43.97 to win their heat and finish third overall. Brian Fay secured a runner-up finish in the men's 5000m, the Dubliner showing his vast range of gears on the last lap of a tactical race, clocking 13:56.07 to finish a close second to Belgium's Isaac Kimeli (13:55.70). Shane Bracken had an impressive run in the men's 1500m, the Mayo man finishing a close third in 3:42.92. Sophie O'Sullivan turned in an off-colour performance in the women's 800m, the recently crowned NCAA 1500m champion coming home eighth in her heat in 2:12.87. Paris Olympian Eric Favors threw 19.42m to finish fifth in the men's shot put, while David Cussen cleared 2.16m to finish fifth in the high jump. Reigning European U-20 champion Elizabeth Ndudi jumped 6.26m to finish fourth in the long jump, Ava O'Connor finished fourth in the women's 3000m steeplechase in 9:45.09, while Niamh Fogarty threw 52.20m to finish fifth in the discus. Fintan Dewhirst had to battle injury in his heat of the 400m hurdles, trailing home eighth and last in 79.01 seconds but making sure he reached the line to earn some valuable points. Elsewhere, rising star Conor Kelly broke his own Irish U-20 400m record when clocking 46.06 at the Junioren Gala in Mannheim, Germany, improving the 46.18 record he set in Brussels last month.
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Jack Raftery and Sharlene Mawdsley impress for Ireland at European Team Championships
Two superb 400m runs by Jack Raftery and Sharlene Mawdsley, along with a 4x100m national record by the men's relay team, put Ireland firmly in the hunt for promotion after the first day of the European Athletics Team Championships in Maribor, Slovenia on Saturday. Raftery became just the second Irishman in history to break 45 seconds for 400m when clocking 44.98 to finish fourth in the men's race, while Mawdsley made a hugely impressive return to racing – the Tipperary sprinter clocking a season's best of 50.93 to finish third in the women's race. Their performances helped Ireland climb to fifth at the halfway stage, their tally of 192 points putting them within touching distance of the top three in division two: Norway (228), Belgium (226.5) and Slovenia (214.5). The top three nations will gain promotion to the first division on Sunday evening, with the bottom three relegated. The Irish didn't have any winners on day one and while Raftery might not have accrued the most points, his run was the standout individual showing – the 24-year-old Dubliner hacking a massive chunk off his previous best of 45.75 to move second on the Irish all-time list behind David Gillick's national record of 44.77. 'I can't believe that,' he said. 'I don't have the words. I was coming in thinking if I ran 45.5, I'd be delighted.' Raftery has been working under coaches Gerard O'Donnell and Aideen Sinnott at the Dublin Sprint Club and having gone to the Paris Olympics as a sub for the mixed relay, he's now in a great position to make the Tokyo World Championships as an individual, his time just shy of the automatic standard of 44.85. Mawdsley, running her first race since the Grand Slam Track event in Philadelphia in late May, turned in an excellent showing to dip under 51 seconds for the first time this year, not far off the PB of 50.71 she ran at the Paris Olympics. The race was won by Slovakia's Emma Zapletalova in 50.76. 'I don't even know how I made it around,' said Mawdsley, who was running her first race since the death of her father Thomas (Tucker) in early June. 'A season's best is great. It's a shame I didn't come first, I would have loved the top points.' Mawdsley said she is uncertain of her plans for the coming weeks, adding: 'Today was just about getting out there and doing my family proud.' The action closed with a huge performance by the Irish in the men's 4x100m where Michael Farrelly, Sean Aigboboh, Marcus Lawler and Israel Olatunde broke the national record for the second time in eight days, clocking 38.88 to win their heat and finish second overall. 'It's a great run,' said Lawler. 'There's a lot of effort gone into this over the years. We're all delighted.' Bori Akinola had to withdraw from that race after sustaining an injury in the 100m, where he finished fourth in his heat, and eighth overall, clocking 10.62 into a 2.2m/s headwind. The Irish 4x100m women's team of Sarah Leahy, Ciara Neville, Lauren Roy and Sarah Lavin clocked 43.97 to win their heat and finish third overall. Brian Fay secured a runner-up finish in the men's 5000m, the Dubliner showing his vast range of gears on the last lap of a tactical race, clocking 13:56.07 to finish a close second to Belgium's Isaac Kimeli (13:55.70). Shane Bracken had an impressive run in the men's 1500m, the Mayo man finishing a close third in 3:42.92. Sophie O'Sullivan turned in an off-colour performance in the women's 800m, the recently crowned NCAA 1500m champion coming home eighth in her heat in 2:12.87. Paris Olympian Eric Favors threw 19.42m to finish fifth in the men's shot put, while David Cussen cleared 2.16m to finish fifth in the high jump. Reigning European U-20 champion Elizabeth Ndudi jumped 6.26m to finish fourth in the long jump, Ava O'Connor finished fourth in the women's 3000m steeplechase in 9:45.09, while Niamh Fogarty threw 52.20m to finish fifth in the discus. Fintan Dewhirst had to battle injury in his heat of the 400m hurdles, trailing home eighth and last in 79.01 seconds but making sure he reached the line to earn some valuable points. Elsewhere, rising star Conor Kelly broke his own Irish U-20 400m record when clocking 46.06 at the Junioren Gala in Mannheim, Germany, improving the 46.18 record he set in Brussels last month.
Irish Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Stadium announcer's cheeky dig at Ireland stars ahead of Lions game
The stadium announcer for the British and Irish Lions' opening game in Australia couldn't resist a joke at the expense of some of Andy Farrell's men. Ireland stars Mack Hansen and James Lowe were among those on the receiving end as the announcer highlighted the number of southern hemisphere natives in the Lions squad. The Times' Will Kelleher posted on X: "The Western Force announcer here, going through the Lions 23... "'Our former Aussie, Mack Hansen!'" "'Another former Aussie, Sione Tuipulotu!'" "'It's the Kiwi, now Irishman, James Lowe!'" "'The former SA schoolboy, now Scotsman, Pierre Schoeman'." The Lions secured their first victory on Australian turf, trouncing Western Force 54-7. However, a potential injury crisis looms at scrum-half after Tomos Williams was forced to leave the pitch. Williams was one of the standout performers for the Lions at Optus Stadium, but his game ended abruptly when he injured his left hamstring while scoring his second try in the 47th minute. The Welsh half-back's departure has left the Lions anxious about his fitness, especially as Jamison Gibson-Park has yet to play on tour due to a glute issue. This could potentially leave Alex Mitchell as the only available option for the position. This was the biggest disappointment on a mixed night for Andy Farrell's squad, who rebounded from their 28-24 loss to Argentina with an eight-try thrashing of Australia's weakest Super Rugby franchise, despite revealing some areas of concern. Defensive cohesion remained lacking and the scrum regressed after shining against the Pumas, contributing to an overall shaky set-piece performance. However, their passes connected in attack and they crafted some stylish tries. Henry Pollock, Joe McCarthy and James Lowe all bolstered their cases for Test selection against the Wallabies, while fly-half Finn Russell delivered a creative debut on tour. Russell's masterful play was instrumental in Dan Sheehan's fourth-minute try, his precise kick to Lowe setting up the score. However, the Force retaliated with their first offensive move of the match, resulting in Nic White squirming over the line. The hosts were applying all the early pressure but saw themselves turned over thrice when in dominant positions, one instance being when man-of-the-match McCarthy snatched a line-out ball. Despite the Force's spirited efforts, the Lions' superior skill was evident in the 16th minute. Pollock teamed up with Josh van der Flier, broke free, and then passed out of the tackle for Williams to score. Their precision was on show again in the 36th minute when Russell initiated a quickly taken free-kick with Pollock and Elliot Daly backing him up. When he was halted just shy of the line, Daly managed to touch down. Pollock's provocative celebration of the try near Force openside Nick Champion de Crespigny sparked a heated moment that drew in numerous players. The England back row was subsequently sin-binned, although his yellow card was due to referee Ben O'Keeffe's growing frustration with the number of Lions infringements. Before Pollock could return to the game, the Lions struck once more early in the second half. Wings Mack Hansen and Lowe participated in a counterattack that concluded with Williams diving over in the corner for his decisive finish. Just 10 minutes post-half-time, the Force's defence was already showing signs of fatigue, providing an easy opening for the visitors with Hansen setting up Garry Ringrose for the scoring pass. Once back in play, Pollock seized a loose ball to initiate a counterattack that concluded with McCarthy crossing the line. The gaps kept appearing as Marcus Smith, who replaced Russell at fly-half, assisted Daly in scoring before Alex Mitchell delivered the final blow.
