Joe Bugner, heavyweight boxer who went the distance with Muhammad Ali twice, dead at 75

Joe Bugner, heavyweight boxer who went the distance with Muhammad Ali twice, dead at 75

Joe Bugner, a former heavyweight boxer who foughtMuhammad Alitwice in his career, has died. Bugner was 75 years old. "It is with great sadness that the Former British, European Commonwealth Heavyweight Champion and World Championship contender Joe Bugner has passed away at his care home in Brisbane, Australia," theBritish Boxing Board of Controlconfirmed on Monday. "The British Boxing Board of Control passes on its condolences to Joe's family." Click Here For More Sports Coverage On Foxnews.com Bugner was atalented boxer, but he wasn't in the good graces of those in his native Britain after sending Henry Cooper, a boxing legend in the commonwealth, into retirement after beating him in 1971. The victory gave him the British, Commonwealth and European heavyweight titles. Bugner didn't hold on to those belts after losing them later in 1971. Read On The Fox News App Hulk Hogan Netflix Documentary Was In Production Before His Death; Wrestler Did 20-Plus Hours Of Interviews He went on to face off against Ali for the first time in 1973 when they entered the ring in a non-title fight inLas Vegas. Bugner was able to go the distance against the boxing icon, though Ali would get the win by points. Just five months later, Bugner was in the ring against the legendary Joe Frazier, this time on home soil at Earl's Court in London. Like the fight against Ali, Bugner was able to go the distance, but he came up short as Frazier won by points. The most thrilling fight, though, came between Bugner and Ali in Kuala Lumpur in 1975, their second time fighting each other. In front of a packed-out crowd, Bugner and Ali went a full 15 rounds on the canvas, though the former came out as the loser by points once more. Bugner fought for 32 years, ending his career in 1999 before relocating to Australia. He spent the final years of his life in an assisted living home after being diagnosed with dementia. Bugner went 69-14 over his 83 fights, 41 of which ended inside the distance. Bugner was a Hungary-born boxer who moved to Britain as a child refugee amid the 1956 Soviet invasion. Follow Fox News Digital'ssports coverage on X, and subscribe tothe Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter. Original article source:Joe Bugner, heavyweight boxer who went the distance with Muhammad Ali twice, dead at 75

byAlpha World

in

September 02, 2025

Joe Bugner, heavyweight boxer who went the distance with Muhammad Ali twice, dead at 75

Joe Bugner, heavyweight boxer who went the distance with Muhammad Ali twice, dead at 75 Joe Bugner, a former heavyweight boxer who foughtMuh...

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Europe resumes World Cup qualifying with first games for recent champions France, Germany, Spain

Europe resumes World Cup qualifying with first games for recent champions France, Germany, Spain

GENEVA (AP) — European soccer now focuses onqualifying for the 2026 World Cupwith recent champions France, Germany and Spain among the nations starting a six-game, 11-week sprint to advance to the tournament being played across North America. The European qualifying program returns Thursday with six days of games involving 54 teams — 24 of them kicking a first ball on their intended road to play on soccer's biggest stage in the United States, Canada and Mexico starting June 11. Italy began its campaign —shakily— in June and resumes its quest to avoid a third straightfailure to qualifyalready trailing nine points behind group leader Norway. England opened in March and looks to add to three straight wins with no goals conceded for coach Thomas Tuchel. Among those starting their qualifying program are top-tier teams who played athrilling set of Nations League gamesin March and June. Spain, the 2010 World Cup winner, begins at Bulgaria on Thursday when 2014 champion Germany starts at Slovakia. France, the 2018 title winner, starts Friday away against Ukraine in Les Bleus' first game in the competition since losing anepic final against Argentinain December 2022. Ukraine will host that game in Wroclaw in neutral Poland because of security concerns at home during the Russian military invasion. Russia's teams werebanned by UEFA and FIFAfrom all international competitions in February 2022 when the war began. How to qualify Europe has 16 entries in the first 48-team men's World Cup, three more than in the 32-team format played in 2022. The 12 first-place teams when qualifying groups end in November advance direct to the tournament. The 12 runners-up go to the playoffs scheduled in March, joined by four winners of Nations League groups played last year. Those extra teams couldinclude, remarkably, San Marino, 210th and last of themen's national teams ranked by FIFA. The 16 European playoffs teams will be seeded into four knockout brackets of four teams each. They play single-game semifinals and finals on March 26 and 31, to decide the four remaining World Cup slots. Smallest groups since 1989 The extra World Cup entries given by FIFA, and Nations League knockout stage expanded by UEFA, have changed the qualifying formula. Europe now has its first World Cup qualifying groups of just four teams since those that finished in November 1989, just days after the Berlin Wall fell and reshaped the continent. High-ranking nations that once had to play in groups of five or six teams across 15 months now have a condensed program playing two games in each of three straight months. An injury could remove a key player for the entire qualifying program. Germany will not haveJamal Musiala, who sustained a serious leg injury playing for Bayern Munich at the Club World Cup in July. The format changes again next year. After the 2026 World Cup,the FIFA schedulefor men's national-team games will combine the separate September and October breaks into a four-game block over back-to-back weekends. Toughest groups European champion Spain's reward for beating the Netherlands in a Nations League quarterfinal in March was to land in a four-team group withTurkey and Georgia, two breakout successes at Euro 2024. Georgia, with star winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, was the most dangerous team among third-seeded options in the draw last December. Georgia hosts Turkey on Thursday and plays at Spain on Oct. 11. Maybe the hardest to predict is the four-team group of Switzerland, Sweden, Slovenia and Kosovo. Switzerland was animpressive quarterfinalistat Euro 2024 yet must face some of Europe's most expensive forwards — Slovenia'sBenjamin Šeško, now at Arsenal, and a Sweden attacking line ofAlexander Isak,Viktor GyökeresandAnthony Elangawho were collectively signed for more than $300 million this season by, respectively, Liverpool, Arsenal and Newcastle. A talented Kosovo squad thatactively recruits from its migrant populationin Switzerland comes to Basel on Friday with the Swiss team captained by its all-time greatGranit Xhaka, who has family ties to Kosovo. Norway leads Italy and Israel One group sure to make news is currently led by Norway ahead of Israel and Italy. Norway has not qualified for a men's World Cup since before 25-year-old Erling Haaland was born. The team is on track after the star forward scored in each of four straight wins since starting in March. Norway has no fixture Friday in the five-team group and hosts last-place Moldova next Tuesday. Italy, infamously, has not played a World Cup tournament game since June 2014. Then, Giorgio Chiellini wasbitten by Uruguay's Luis Suárezin a 1-0 loss that sent the four-time champion home from the group stage in Brazil. Italy hosts Estonia on Friday, three days before going to face Israel in neutral Hungary, at Debrecen. Israeli teams havenot been allowed to host home gamesin international competitions for security reasons since the October 2023 attack by Hamas. Norway hosts Israel on Oct. 11 in Oslo andpledged last monthto donate its profits from ticket sales at that game to humanitarian aid work in Gaza. ___ AP soccer:https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

byAlpha World

in

September 02, 2025

Europe resumes World Cup qualifying with first games for recent champions France, Germany, Spain

Europe resumes World Cup qualifying with first games for recent champions France, Germany, Spain GENEVA (AP) — European soccer now focuses o...

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Exclusive-Fed should be independent but has made mistakes, Treasury Secretary Bessent says

Exclusive-Fed should be independent but has made mistakes, Treasury Secretary Bessent says

By Jeff Mason and Andrea Shalal ARLINGTON, Virginia (Reuters) -U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday the Federal Reserve is and should be independent but said it had "made a lot of mistakes" and defended President Donald Trump's right to fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook over allegations of mortgage fraud. Trump has criticized the Fed and its chair, Jerome Powell, for months for not lowering interest rates, and recently took aim at Powell over a costly renovation of the bank's Washington headquarters. "The Fed should be independent. The Fed is independent, but I, I also think that they've made a lot of mistakes," Bessent told Reuters in an interview at a diner in suburban Washington. Asked whether the administration's efforts to remove Cook looked like an attempt to give Trump a chance to appoint a majority on the board of governors, Bessent said: "Well, or is it you're having to do the Fed's job for 'em?" Independent central banks are widely seen as crucial to a stable global financial system. Bessent said the makeup of the Fed board - with regional bank governors - meant the president could not "stack the board." Bessent rejected the idea that markets were disturbed by the Trump administration's actions. "(The) S&P's at a new high and bond yields are fine. So we haven't seen anything yet," he said. Bessent said he believed that Cook should be removed or step down if the allegations against her are true, and noted that she had not denied them. Trump last week fired Cook, the first Black woman to serve on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, after the Trump-appointed head of the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency, William Pulte, accused her of mortgage fraud. Pulte asked the Justice Department to investigate the claim. The department has not filed charges against her. Cook and her supporters contend that the fraud allegations are a pretext to remove her so Trump could appoint an ally to the central bank who would promote his policy wishes. Cook is suing Trump and the Fed, saying Trump did not have the legal authority to remove her. The Trump administration says Cook described separate properties in Michigan and Georgia as primary residences on mortgage applications in 2021, which could have given her preferential interest rates. Cook has said that even if the allegations were true, they would not be grounds for removal because the alleged conduct occurred before she was confirmed by the Senate and took office in 2022. "I've been very surprised that the Fed has not done an independent review," Bessent said. "She hasn't said she didn't do it. She's just saying the president can't fire her. There's a big difference." Bessent said the Senate should act quickly to confirm Stephen Miran, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, for a temporary post, replacing Adriana Kugler who resigned on August 1. (Reporting by Jeff Mason and Andrea Shalal; Editing by Scott Malone and Edmund Klamann)

byAlpha World

in

September 02, 2025

Exclusive-Fed should be independent but has made mistakes, Treasury Secretary Bessent says

Exclusive-Fed should be independent but has made mistakes, Treasury Secretary Bessent says By Jeff Mason and Andrea Shalal ARLINGTON, Virgi...

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Trump says he's awarding former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom

Trump says he's awarding former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom

WASHINGTON (AP) — PresidentDonald Trumpsaid Monday he will award former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, two days after his longtime political ally wasseriously injured in a car crash. The decision places the award on a man once lauded for leading New York after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and latersanctioned by courts and disbarredfor amplifying false claims about the 2020 election. Giuliani was also criminally charged in two states; he has denied wrongdoing. Trump in a statement on social media called Giuliani the "greatest Mayor in the history of New York City, and an equally great American Patriot." For much of the past two decades, Giuliani's public life has been defined by a striking rise and fall. After leading New York through the aftermath of Sept. 11, he mounted a brief campaign for the Republican presidential nomination and became one of the most recognizable political figures in the country. But as Trump's personal lawyer, he became a central figure in efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Courts repeatedly rejected the fraud claims he advanced, and two former Georgia election workerswon a $148 million defamation judgmentagainst him. The election workers, Ruby Freeman and Wandrea "Shaye" Moss, said Giuliani's efforts to promote Trump's lies about the election being stolen led to death threats that made them fear for their lives. Giuliani was disbarred in New York and Washington for repeatedly making false statements about the election, and he was criminally charged inGeorgiaandArizonain connection with efforts to undo Trump's loss to Democrat Joe Biden. Giuliani, 81, was hospitalized after the Saturday night collision in New Hampshire. State police said he was a passenger in a rented Ford Bronco driven by his spokesperson, Ted Goodman, when the vehicle was struck from behind by a Honda HR-V. Giuliani suffered a fractured thoracic vertebra along with multiple lacerations, contusions and injuries to his left arm and leg, according to his security chief, Michael Ragusa. On Monday, Ragusa said Giuliani remained in the hospital but was expected to be released "soon." The Medal of Freedom, established in 1963, is awarded to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, or cultural or other significant public endeavors.

byAlpha World

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September 02, 2025

Trump says he's awarding former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom

Trump says he's awarding former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom WASHINGTON (AP) — PresidentDonald Trumpsa...

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Carson Kelly delivers the Cubs a wild 7-6 victory over the Braves

Carson Kelly delivers the Cubs a wild 7-6 victory over the Braves

CHICAGO (AP) — Carson Kelly hit a tying two-run homer in the eighth inning and a game-ending single in the 10th, sending the Chicago Cubs to a wild 7-6 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Monday. Ian Happ had three hits for Chicago, including his 19th homer. Dansby Swanson drove in two runs, and Matt Shaw had a run-scoring double. Seiya Suzuki began the Cubs' 10th on second as the automatic runner. Suzuki advanced on Nico Hoerner's one-out grounder to second before Kelly hit a liner into the corner in left off John Brebbia (1-1). Andrew Kittredge (4-3) worked a perfect 10th for the win. The Cubs trailed 6-1 before Shaw doubled home Swanson in the fifth. Swanson hit a two-run double off Hunter Stratton in the sixth, and Kelly completed the comeback with his 14th homer on a 3-2 curveball from Pierce Johnson. Michael Harris II drove in four runs for Atlanta on a pair of two-out hits. Drake Baldwin had two hits and scored twice. Harris' two-run single off Colin Rea made it 3-0 in the third. He also hit a two-run double in Atlanta's three-run fifth after Taylor Rogers retired the first two batters of the frame. Harris' single — driving in Ronald Acuña Jr. and Baldwin — landed in between Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and right fielder Kyle Tucker. Crow-Armstrong peeled off and Tucker came up emptyon a diving attemptas the ball landed in right-center. After a tough start to the season, Harris is batting .335 (59 for 176) with 11 homers and 33 RBIs in 43 games since the All-Star break. Key moment Kelly's hit set off a wild celebration for the crowd of 39,673 at Wrigley Field. Key stat The Cubs improved to 23-45 when their opponent scores first. Up next Joey Wentz (5-4, 4.92 ERA) starts for Atlanta on Tuesday night, and fellow left-hander Shota Imanaga (8-6, 3.08 ERA) pitches for Chicago. ___ AP MLB:https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

byAlpha World

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September 02, 2025

Carson Kelly delivers the Cubs a wild 7-6 victory over the Braves

Carson Kelly delivers the Cubs a wild 7-6 victory over the Braves CHICAGO (AP) — Carson Kelly hit a tying two-run homer in the eighth inning...

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