Boxing: David Nyika's second round at world title shot begins against journeyman Nik Charalampous
The first run-through saw an earlier-than-expected shot at Aussie IBF champion Jai Opetaia in January, which ended in a brutal fourth-round knockout loss – the first of Nyika's professional career.
Now, the 10-1 'Dave 2.0',
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NZ Herald
13 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Formula 1: Liam Lawson lands vital punch in Red Bull battle with Isack Hadjar
But in the battle to return to Red Bull after his two-race demotion, Lawson has done himself a world of good in Belgium. Here's what we learned at Spa-Francorchamps. The fightback begins While the narrative of Lawson v Hadjar plays out each week, we hadn't actually seen it on track until Belgium. Now that we have, though, you'd have to award it to the Kiwi in straight sets. You cannot argue that Hadjar has, without question, outperformed Lawson over the course of their time together in 2025. He has five points finishes to Lawson's three, and is still six clear in the drivers' championship. Recency bias, though, sides with the Kiwi. Since Monaco, Lawson has scored all 16 of his points, while Hadjar has managed 15. In fact, Hadjar hasn't scored a point since Spain, before Lawson outperformed him in Austria, before Belgium. Make no mistake, this is not the end of the battle between Lawson and Hadjar by any means. The 20-year-old has been a revelation at Racing Bulls, and has done all the right things to take his career to another level next year. The pair share a very close relationship, with Lawson widely understood to have taken on a mentoring role for his younger teammate. But in a sport where results speak louder than anything else, Lawson's recent results over Hadjar make for very good reading in the race to possibly step into Red Bull next year. Bragging rights Lawson's overtake on his teammate came at the same time as the crossover from wet to slick tyres. Getting ahead when he did set Lawson up as Racing Bulls' lead car, and gave him the first pit stop as a result. Had he not pulled that off, Lawson would have been forced to stay out for one lap longer, and lose any chance of a points finish. In Melbourne, the first of Lawson's two races with Red Bull, the opposite occurred, and the Kiwi was left out on slick tyres when he needed to pit for intermediates, only to spin out as Max Verstappen was preferred. In football, the adage is that these things tend to even out over the course of a season. And while not necessarily 100% the same, it's good to see a bit of fortune finally fall Lawson's way for once. Hope for Yuki? A 12th-place finish in the grand prix might not stand out as a season-saving result, but there were very good signs for Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda over the course of the weekend. Like Lawson before him, Tsunoda has struggled to come to grips with Red Bull's RB21, a car that only Verstappen seems to be able to get the best out of. But having seen Red Bull team principal Christian Horner sacked in the two-week break between Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps, Tsunoda could stand to benefit more than anyone else. Horner's replacement, Laurent Mekies, is Tsunoda's former boss with Racing Bulls and AlphaTauri. And with that familiar figure, the Japanese driver managed his best qualifying position of seventh. Tsunoda's future is by no means secure. His links to Honda will almost certainly mean his exit at the end of the year, when the Japanese engine supplier leaves Red Bull for Aston Martin. However, if Mekies' presence at Red Bull gives him any kind of lift, Lawson and Hadjar could have company in their fight for that second seat. Lawson silences Saubers Since Spain, Sauber have quietly become Formula One's dark horse. Under the guidance of former Red Bull sporting director Jonathan Wheatley, the soon-to-be Audi team are on course for their biggest points haul in years. Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto have together scored 43 points to climb to sixth in the constructors' championship, two clear of Racing Bulls in seventh. That total could arguably have been more, were it not for running into Lawson at Spa. After his first and only pitstop, Lawson emerged ahead of Hulkenberg, fresh from his first podium at Silverstone. The German veteran had plenty of opportunity to get around the Kiwi, but couldn't manage, and even saw his teammate demand to let him by to have his own crack at Lawson. It made no difference, as Lawson held off Bortoleto for the rest of the race. Lawson's junior categories were highlighted by his aggressive nature. This season, though, we've seen his defence come to the fore. Given more time, Lawson should begin to cash in on the promise that Red Bull saw, and give their second seat to, after just 11 grands prix. One to go Even though we've just had a two-week break between Britain and Belgium, Formula One is readying up for the final race of the first block of the season. Next week's race in Hungary is the last before the month-long summer break, giving teams the chance to reset. However, there is still a race to get through. The Hungaroring is a tough circuit, with plenty of low speed corners for drivers to navigate, while Hungary's high temperatures make it a challenge for drivers to navigate wear on their tyres. For Lawson, there's no shortage of past experience. Through Formula Three and Formula Two, he's raced there six times all up. His best result, though, is a sixth-place, achieved in 2022. Three years on, though, Lawson is a much better driver than he was in his F2 days, and will hopefully be able to continue on the trajectory he's heading into the summer with. Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.
NZ Herald
14 hours ago
- NZ Herald
British and Irish Lions clincher over Australia the best test of season: Phil Gifford
Tick them off. A huge crowd? How does 90,307 sound? Some brilliant old-school attacking rugby from both teams? Yes. Telecast in 130 countries, it was a game to debunk the idea that rugby has lost its appeal to all but an increasingly shrinking group of aged diehards. And to round it off, there was a refereeing controversy that will run for as long as Wallabies fans can still watch television replays and hear the cries of disbelief from commentator Morgan Turinui. Good on you, Sir Clive After losing the first test in Brisbane 27-19, the Australian team copped it from all quarters. Their own media and public were bitterly disappointed, and before the second test, there was a cutting comment from former Lions and England coach Sir Clive Woodward. He suggested the Wallabies were 'boys playing against men'. Few would have dreamed the same Aussie players were about to rock the Lions. Suddenly, the September test with South Africa at Eden Park is not the only major All Blacks showdown Auckland fans should look forward to this year. Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt carried the brunt of criticism after Brisbane, which was a harsh call considering the relatively average performance of Australian sides in Super Rugby. Given the likeable almost ego-free person Schmidt is, it was a pleasure to watch his team respond with such an outstanding performance. The Wallabies revival started in the forwards, with a scrum that was potent and lineouts that operated with impressive expertise. Add in the physicality of giant lock Will Skelton and captain Harry Wilson, and the base was rock solid. Rob Valetini was as dynamic as he has been all season for the Brumbies. He may well be the best blindside flanker currently playing test rugby. When even Schmidt is outraged Schmidt is virtually the anti-Eddie Jones when it comes to stoking controversy. But the Kiwi obviously felt so strongly about a decision in the 77th minute by Italian referee Andrea Piardi and his assistants, he didn't hold back after the game. The officials had taken no action about what Schmidt felt was head-to-neck contact between replacement Lions flanker Jac Morgan and Aussie forward Carlo Tizzano. Had Morgan been penalised, there would not have been time for Lions wing Hugo Keenan to score the 80th-minute match and series-winning try. Because it was Schmidt who made the comment Australia had been let down by the referee, you have to take it seriously. But having watched the chain of events involving Morgan and Tizzano numerous times, it does feel like a hairline decision that could have gone either way. A more picky referee or TMO might have called a penalty. It was Australia's bad luck that nobody in the officiating team in Melbourne was in a nit-picking mood. Man of the match As impressive as so many of the men in gold jerseys in front of him were, my man of the match was Australian halfback Jake Gordon. The 32-year-old veteran and Waratahs captain has a flinty edge to him that's matched by his ability to read the game. Typical of his vision was his try in the 29th minute, when he dummied past bewildered defenders to give his team an 18-5 lead (with Tom Lynagh's conversion) which looked like the basis for a victory. The match-up between Gordon and All Black Cam Roigard will be fascinating when they face off in the Rugby Championship. Jake Gordon of Australia dives to score a try during the second test between the Wallabies and the British and Irish Lions. Photo / Photosport A brilliant idea still working It's one of sport's ironies that despite rugby being an upper-class sport in England from its earliest days, tours by combined British Isles teams began in 1888, with a privately funded trip to Australia and New Zealand that had no official connection to fiercely amateur rugby unions in Britain. Over the centuries, the Lions have become one of the most successful and profitable inventions in sport, to the point where every player on the Australian tour will receive a payout of $210,000. Like most good ideas, the concept of having the best players from four international rugby sides combine to tour the other side of the world seems obvious once it has succeeded. The Lions are powerful enough to be a yardstick for any international team. They also give rugby fans in the Southern Hemisphere the chance to watch superstars from the Six Nations, whose home countries tour Downunder so rarely. Phil Gifford is a Contributing Sports Writer for NZME. He is one of the most-respected voices in New Zealand sports journalism.
NZ Herald
a day ago
- NZ Herald
Kiwi Erika Fairweather disqualified from 400m freestyle world title defence
Erika Fairweather after winning her heat at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Photo / INPHO Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech. Erika Fairweather after winning her heat at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Photo / INPHO Erika Fairweather's defence of her world 400m freestyle title was short-lived after the Kiwi swimmer was disqualified for a false start. The 21-year-old finished fourth in the third heat at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore on Sunday, with a time of 4min 3.39sec - which would've seen her comfortably qualify in sixth for the final. Instead, Fairweather was scratched after what the international broadcasters said was a move on the start. Here's the Fairweather false start at the top of the screen in the blue suit. What do you think? I think the call is technically correct. I don't know what the officials' guidelines are on what is too little to count, but there's definitely early movement there. — Braden Keith (@Braden_Keith) July 27, 2025 Nine-time Olympic gold medallist Katie Ledecky - the most decorated female swimmer in Olympic history - qualified first with a time of 4:01.04.
