Mayweather fight canned
Gavet leaving Warriors Brockie breaks drought Breakaway and face ban
Floyd Mayweather’s latest comeback appears to be over before a punch is even thrown. In a move that stunned the combat sports world, Mayweather appeared at a press conference in Tokyo earlier this week where local MMA association Rizen Fighting Federation announced he would clash with a little-known Japanese kickboxer on New Year’s Eve. But in an equally shocking twist, Mayweather is claiming he never agreed to the fight against Tenshin Nasukawa in Toyko and says he was ambushed by promoters. In an Instagram post, the undefeated boxer, 50-0, claims he did not sign up for an official bout with Nasukawa. Warriors prop James Gavet is expecting to leave the Warriors and sign a two-year contract with the Newcastle Knights. Gavet was under contract for next season and would have been paid a significant amount of money. However, it appears the Warriors have agreed to release him from his deal with them, so he can take up a longer term offer at the Knights. Knights coach Nathan Brown sees Gavet as an important part of the team from next season and they beat out the Cowboys to sign him, with Cowboys coach Paul Green also keen on bringing him to North Queensland. A ‘‘relieved’’ Jeremy Brockie is hoping to rediscover his goal-scoring form after scoring his first goal in 378 days. The 31-year-old All Whites striker finally scored for Mamelodi Sundowns in a 3-1 win over Free State Stars in South Africa yesterday. It was a typical Brockie finish – drilling a spectacular left-footed volley past the goalkeeper in the 11th minute. ‘‘It’s a massive weight off my shoulders,’’ Brockie told Stuff. ‘‘The longer you go without scoring especially when you’re at a new club it makes life difficult but now I can look forward.’’ The world’s best footballers have been warned by Fifa that playing in a breakaway European Super League would lead to World Cup bans. Fifa president Gianni Infantino issued the warning yesterday following the publishing of confidential documents in the ‘Football Leaks’ series in German magazine Der Spiegel. The series revealed Spanish club Real Madrid was working with consultants on a 16-team Super League to kick off in 2021 – effectively replacing the Champions League and outside the control of Uefa.