Anthony Joshua overwhelms Jake Paul in six to restore boxing sanity in Miami

Anthony Joshua did what he was meant to do on Friday night in Miami: he lay waste to Jake Paul’s bravest and most controversial experiment in boxing with a destructive victory that felt less like a sporting result than the restoration of sanity.In their scheduled eight-round heavyweight bout at the Kaseya Center, streamed globally to Netflix’s roughly 300 million subscribers, the former twice unified heavyweight champion scored four knockdowns before stopping the YouTuber-turned-boxer in the sixth round of a mismatch that had prompted weeks of safety fears and moral hand-wringing. Joshua’s triumph, on a night purpose-built as much for memes as for punches, served as a reminder that boxing still adheres to its elemental laws and that power and pedigree eventually reassert themselves.From the opening bell, the shape of the fight was unmistakable. Joshua took the centre of the ring uncontested while Paul circled him, moving laterally from left to right and back again

Baumgardner and Dubois win as women’s champions shine on Paul v Joshua undercard

Four women’s world title fights took place on the undercard of Friday night’s Jake Paul v Anthony Joshua event at Miami’s Kaseya Center, with Alycia Baumgardner, Caroline Dubois, Cherneka Johnson and Yokasta Valle all retaining their championships on a card that once again placed women’s boxing on one of the sport’s biggest global stages.Alycia Baumgardner (17-1, 7 KOs), one of the sport’s biggest stars, successfully defended her WBO, IBF and WBA junior lightweight titles with a wide unanimous decision over Leila Beaudoin in a contest held under men’s championship rules with 12 rounds of three minutes each. The 31-year-old Ohio native, who rose to prominence by stopping Terri Harper in 2021 before unifying all four belts to become the undisputed champion in 2023, repeatedly punished Beaudoin with body shots, finally dropping her with a right hook to the temple at the bell ending the seventh round.Beaudoin (13-2, 2 KOs), a one-time downhill skier from Canada who took up boxing as part of her cardio training and turned professional in 2019, showed durability and ambition but was outclassed by Baumgardner’s movement and power, particularly in the later rounds as her visible frustration mounted. The judges’ scores of 117-110 (twice) and 118-109 squared with the action

‘They like a good night out’: German darts fans find a (mostly) friendly rivalry at Alexandra Palace

They walk among us, sit among us, sing among us. They speak perfect English, hunt in packs, down industrial quantities of Amstel just like everyone else. And yet to the trained eye, to the seasoned Ally Pally veteran, there is just something different to them. A comportment and a vibe. Perhaps the fact they speak perfect English

Your Guardian sport weekend: Premier League, NFL and boxing

Bryan Armen Graham straps in for live coverage of events in Miami as the former two-time world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua meets the YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul across eight three-minute rounds. Given Paul’s 13-fight career consists mainly of former UFC stars or faded boxing greats, this contest and Joshua’s involvement has sparked a backlash, particularly since Paul, who has regularly fought at cruiserweight since he swapped life as an influencer to enter the world of boxing, came in at 15st 6lb to give away a hefty 26.8lb difference to his British opponent.There’s no better way into the weekend’s footballing action than our rolling blog as Dominic Booth sets up Saturday’s big matches. Breaking news, team updates and the vibe from around the grounds keeps you bang up to date with all the latest developments

Proud Welshman Sam Thomas eyes National glory after Steel Ally’s Ascot romp

Sam Thomas has his string in excellent form going into the busy Christmas programme and he saddled his fourth winner from only seven runners in December as Steel Ally registered an impressive success in the Grade Two Noel Novice Chase at Ascot on Friday.Steel Ally was the 11-4 third-favourite in a field of five runners but was travelling and jumping well from the off for Dylan Johnston, his jockey. No Questions Asked, the 7-5 favourite, briefly threatened to mount a challenge as he moved closer at the third-last but Steel Ally was clear by the second-last and eventually crossed the line nine lengths ahead of Push The Button (12-1).The Noel Novice Chase is staged over two miles and nearly three furlongs, and Steel Ally is quoted at around 33-1 for the Arkle Trophy Novice Chase, over two miles, on the opening day of next year’s Cheltenham Festival.The Welsh Grand National at Chepstow on 27 December is a big target for Thomas over the festive period, and he will saddle two fancied runners, Jubilee Express and Shomen Uchi, in next weekend’s marathon as he attempts to follow up his win with Iwilldoit in 2021

Tom Jordan brings a smorgasbord of skills to Bristol’s Big Game at Harlequins

New Zealand rugby must still be unearthing loads of outstanding players. So many, in fact, that their talent spotters have grown increasingly blase. Because how on earth did someone, somewhere not spot the uncut diamond now twinkling on the far side of the world for Bristol Bears and Scotland?Let’s just run through the impressive menu of skills Tom Jordan will bring to today’s Big Game against Harlequins at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium. Excellent distribution off both hands? Tick. A smart rugby brain? Tick