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‘I could roll out of bed’ – Darts star Gerwyn Price again calls out Jake Paul
DARTS star Gerwyn Price has once again called out Jake Paul.
The Welshman raised eyebrows when he claimed he could knock out YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul with “one punch”.
Price continued his goading by posting a mocked up picture of him and Paul while asking fans who would win in a fight.
He then wrote: “I could roll out of bed in the morning and get the job done.”
The 2021 PDC World Champion then posted a mocked up AI image of him knocking out Paul.
Price is a former professional rugby player but the ex-hooker gave it up in 2014 to focus on darts.
In 2022, he was training for a charity boxing match but he later cancelled it on “medical advice.”
But when probed about fighting Paul, he told talkSPORT in February: “I think it would just be one punch, and it would be all over.
“Out cold; it would be a waste of money for people to tune in.”
Paul is 11-1 in his pro boxing career, losing only to Tommy Fury, 25, by split-decision in 2023.
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He most recently beat Mike Tyson in November after the heavyweight legend controversially came out of retirement at 58.
And Paul was recently in shock talks to fight Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez, 34.
And darts legend Dennis Priestley warned Price against trying to goad Paul into a fight.
Priestly told OLBG: “I don’t think Jake Paul is as bad a fighter as some people think.
“I’d get in the ring with him if the money was right. I assume that [the money] is why Gerwyn has come out with a statement like that.
“I’d back Jake Paul to beat Gerwyn if they ever did get in the ring. I think, deep down, Gerwyn knows that there’s no chance of the fight happening.
“But even so, he’s kidding himself if he actually believes he’d win.”
Army chiefs warn sending thousands of troops to Ukraine will leave Britain stretched and vulnerable to attack
THE British Army will be stretched to breaking point if thousands of troops go to hold the line in Ukraine.
Top Army sources insisted they could cope, but warned it would leave no slack if the UK’s enemies attack elsewhere.
It comes as US officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived to meet their Kremlin counterparts in Saudi Arabia for early talks over a peace deal.
Ukraine and America’s Nato allies have not been invited.
A British defence source has labelled the US sprint for peace as a “gift to Vladimir Putin”.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said he is ready to send Our Boys and Girls to “guarantee Ukraine’s security”.
He was meeting other European leaders yesterday as they try to work around the shifting sands of US foreign policy.
But an MoD insider has warned transferring so many British troops to Ukraine duties would leave the Army “fixed” in one place.
The UK could send two brigades — up to 10,000 troops — as well as an HQ, sources said.
A top source warned it was “premature” to promise troops before there is a peace deal — especially as Donald Trump has frozen Ukraine and its allies out of the process.
If the UK sends 10,000 peacekeepers, another 20,000 would be needed on standby in Britain. Of those, half would be preparing to go and the other half recovering and training their successors.
Our source said: “It would be a lot like when we had wars in Iraq and Afghanistan at the same time. The Army was flat out then.
“The difference was we had 100,000 soldiers then. Today, there’s barely 70,000.”
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said it would take at least 200,000 troops to enforce any peace deal with Russia.
Western officials suggested a force half that size would suffice, as their main job would be to act as a trip wire for Russia.
They said: “A trip wire force has to be big enough to deter Russia or to slow them down.
“But if Moscow wanted to overrun a multi-national force there would have to be a build up and we would see it coming. We would have time to respond.”
The UK has 71,300 trained soldiers — its smallest Army for 200 years.
An Army source said: “The best thing Britain can offer is command and control in the form of an HQ. But if you’re the country providing the headquarters, you have to put in troops as well.”
The UK has already committed a 5,000 strong brigade to Nato duties in Estonia if tensions escalate.
That also requires another 10,000 ready to rotate, meaning 15,000 are needed in total.
A second source said: “If we had 5,000 in Estonia and 10,000 in Ukraine, we would need 45,000 soldiers.
“The field army is only 48,000 soldiers. That’s 95 per cent of the field army gone. It doesn’t leave much flex.”
A top UK defence source has warned the US blind-siding allies and freezing out Ukraine has “taken the pressure off Russia”.
And even Moscow has framed the last-minute talks in Riyadh as a coup for tyrant Putin. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said: “The presidents agreed to leave behind this absolutely ridiculous period in US-Russia relations, when they essentially didn’t speak.”
Lavrov has also scoffed at US allies who felt left out of the process. He said: “I don’t know if there’s anything for them to do at the negotiating table.”
A former UK forces chief said: “The best thing we could do is divert all our effort to help Ukraine keep pressure on Russia.”
He said Moscow’s economy is in trouble and risks collapsing within the year. Interest rates are at 20 per cent and the Kremlin is spending almost half its budget on security and defence.
He added: “The only way to get concessions from Putin is if he is under pressure.”
Trump stunned allies last week by revealing he had held talks with Putin and said Ukraine would never join Nato. His aides scoffed at Kyiv’s aim of retaking captured territory and ruled out sending in US troops.
President Zelensky, on a visit to the United Arab Emirates yesterday, said Kyiv “will not take part” in the Riyadh talks and “did not know anything about it”. He added: “We cannot recognise any agreements about us without us.”
The US Secretary of State said he wants to set out a framework for peace talks, promising: “If it’s real negotiations, Ukraine will have to be involved. And the Europeans as they have sanctions on Russia.”
As talks begin, footage of a Russian commander has been revealed allegedly ordering the illegal execution of two Ukrainian fighters.
He uses live drone footage to repeatedly order the killing of the unarmed, surrendered troops.
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Tennis could introduce ‘fifth Grand Slam’ as ambitious £436m bid is tabled to transform popular tournament
TENNIS could introduce a so-called “fifth Grand Slam”, according to shock reports.
It is claimed the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation (FITP) have launched a staggering £436million bid to try and buy out a rival tournament from Madrid.
Italy host one of the nine Masters 1000 events in Rome each May – the highest level below the four Grand Slams.
Spain have the Mutua Madrid Masters directly before the Italian Open with the final in 2025 on May 4, two weeks before the Rome final on May 18.
But the FITP apparently dream of acquiring the week in the tennis calendar currently occupied by Madrid to expand the Internazionali BNL d’Italia to a two-week tournament plus qualifying and prep days.
While many of the Masters events have been extended from a week to ten-day tournaments, only the four Grand Slams – Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open – are full fortnights.
But La Stampa via Ubitennis in Italy report the FITP formally offered nearly half £1billion to IMG, who own and run the controversial Madrid Masters.
A review last year confirmed IMG may look to sell one of its events, with the management company also having the Miami Open.
It is said to be a “dream” for the Italian tennis authorities to make their flagship clay-court event into a “fifth major”.
However, the FITP’s ambitious plan is understood to be highly unlikely and looks set to fall flat – especially as the clay-court Major, the French Open, starts later in May.
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Tennis in Italy is enjoying a boom with the success of world No1 Jannik Sinner – despite his three-month doping ban – plus ten more men inside the top 100 and Jasmine Paolini flying the flag for the women.
The country won both the men’s Davis Cup and the women’s Billie Jean King Cup in 2024 and will host the Davis Cup Finals later this year.
Tennis stars’ new careers
PLENTY of tennis stars have stayed involved in the sport since retiring.
But others pursued very different careers. Here are some of the best…
- I reached French Open and Wimbledon finals as a teenager but I quit to become a nun
- I won Wimbledon mixed doubles with my sister but got fed up with English weather so now run luxury B&B
- I was tipped for stardom aged 12 but retrained to become high-flying lawyer
- I earned £9m and won French Open before setting up bistro with Brazilian model girlfriend
- I’m last Frenchman to win Roland Garros, now I’m singer with six albums hitting No1 in charts
- I’m former world No1 but quit aged 29 – instead I went on to play professional poker and golf
- I was destined for the top but swapped lobs for labs as award-winning Harvard physicist
The ATP Finals also moved from London’s O2 Arena to Turin in 2021 and will remain in Italy until 2030.
The Italian Open also reportedly want to make significant improvements to the site in Rome with the construction of a new stadium.
A new ‘SuperTennis Arena’ could incorporate three courts – with one surrounded by 6,500 seats and space for 700 fans on the other two.
Maya Jama stuns fans in her sexiest dress yet for Love Island All Stars final
MAYA Jama has sent fans wild after giving a sneak peek of her jaw-dropping outfit for the Love Island All Stars final – and it’s one of her raciest looks yet.
The 30-year-old presenter took to social media to share a behind-the-scenes glimpse as she got glammed up for the big night.
Maya revealed a daring gold-coloured dress with crisscross cut-outs and metal ring details that left little to the imagination.
Posting a sultry clip, Maya teased: “Ready to go at 9pm on ITV2” as a team member made last-minute adjustments to her eye-popping look.
Fans couldn’t get enough, with one commenting: “Maya’s dress is insaneeee wow!” while another added: “maya stop distracting us”
Maya has made a name for herself as Love Island’s most stylish host, and this sizzling number might just be her best yet.
The show’s final is set to be explosive – with the final couples battling for the £50,000 prize.
The couples up for the win are: Curtis Pritchard and Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu; Grace Jackson and Luca Bish; Catherine Agbaje and Omar Nyame; Elma Pazar and Sammy Root and Gabby Allen and Casey O’Gorman.
They were treated to a pool party before getting ready for the live show on ITV2.
One couple sadly missed out after the axed islanders returned to the villa to dump one couple before the final.
Harriett Blackmore and Ronnie Vint were sent packing on Sunday night.
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