Spurs set to host Joshua fight

Anthony Joshua’s next fight is set to be staged at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in September.

His WBO defence against mandatory challenger Oleksandr Usyk is yet to be finalised, but it is expected that the deal will be done after Joshua’s undisputed world title fight against Tyson Fury fell through.

If the bout was to go ahead it is hoped that the 62,000 seated venue will be at full capacity, with crowds starting to return to football grounds and other sporting venues across the country and the Government looking to lift all restrictions on 21 June. However, increasingly concerns around the Delta variant may push this date back.

Joshua, who also holds the WBA and IBF belts, was due to face Kubrat Pulev at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last summer, but the fight was postponed until December and switched to Wembley Arena due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

31-year-old Joshua has 24 wins from 25 fights (22 of them by knockout) with one loss to Andy Ruiz Jr. on his record. The Ukrainian Usyk has 18 wins from 18 fights and is was the first cruiserweight in history to hold all four major world championships before moving up to the heavyweight divsion.

Two NFL games are also set to be held in October. A return of live events to the stadium will bring welcome revenue into the club after various postponements in 2020 and 2021, including Guns ‘N’ Roses who have been delayed twice and now will not appear until next year.

Amazon among frontrunners for stadium naming rights as Levy eyes record £250m deal

Amazon have emerged as one of the frontrunners for the naming rights of Spurs’ new stadium, according to the Daily Mail.

The firm are understood to have lodged their interest, with Daniel Levy aiming to secure a £25m a season deal that will run for ten years. If successful, he will secure the most lucrative stadium naming rights in history.

Spurs already have ties with Amazon, having spent the season filming the behind-the-scenes documentary, ‘All or Nothing’, but there is understood to be a number of other interested parties, with Spurs’ kit sponsors Nike among them.

The appeal for potential sponsors is obvious – not only is Tottenham now established as a major Premier League club, their new state-of-the-art stadium is also set to host NFL games, as well as numerous high-profile sporting events and concerts.

Levy will want to finalise a deal quickly in order to help meet the loan repayments on the £1billion stadium, especially with the anticipated loss of Champions League income next season.

The news comes after Tottenham became the first Premier League club to host a coronavirus testing operation at their stadium, with the basement car park being used as a site for drive-through tests for North Middlesex University Hospital staff and their families.

Spurs in for Dutch wonderkid

Tottenham Hotspur are looking to sign 16-year-old Dutch wonderkid, Lamare Bogarde, this summer, according to Football Insider.

Despite the well-documented impact that COVID-19 has had on the club’s recruitment team, and the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the Premier League, Spurs are thought to be keen to secure the starlet’s transfer from Feyenoord.

Bogarde, a Dutch youth international, usually plays at centre-back, but is equally comfortable at pushing into defensive midfield.

Borussia Dortmund, Schalke, Juventus and AC Milan are just some of the clubs that are also thought to be tracking him.

Spurs fans will hope that Lamare finds more success in the Premier League than his uncle, Winston, whose four year stint at Chelsea became infamous after making only nine league appearances.

Despite the club’s attempts to sell him, and demoting him to the reserve and youth teams, Winston Bogarde refused to move due to other clubs being unable to match his £40,000 a week salary. He said: “This world is about money, so when you are offered those millions you take them. Few people will ever earn so many. I am one of the few fortunates who do. I may be one of the worst buys in the history of the Premiership but I don’t care.”

Goalkeeping prospects receive online training from Brad Friedel

Under-18 goalkeepers, Kacper Kurylowicz, Thimothee Lo-Tutala and Isak Solberg, are among six youth prospects who have enjoyed online training sessions in recent weeks.

Former Spurs players Brad Friedel and Oscar Jansson, as well as Development squad keeper Brandon Austin, have led the sessions for the youngsters.

The stoppers gave them some valuable insight into the mentality required to reach the top of their game and passed on some useful practical tips for them to work on while they remain at home during this period of unprecedented social shutdown.

The online video classes were introduced by Academy Coach, Perry Suckling, as an additional means for our young keepers to further their development, alongside the daily coaching and exercise programmes the Club is providing for our Academy players to work on while in isolation.

‘We Are Together’

I joined host Charlie Hawkins and Jamie from the Daily Hotspur as the Last Word On Spurs returned to Love Sport Radio for the #SpursFansShow.

The panel reacted to the FA, Premier League, EFL and women’s professional game, together with the PFA and LMA, all announcing that professional football in England will be postponed until April 30 at the earliest.

It appears the FA, Premier League, EFL and women’s professional game are fully committed to ending the season. They have extended the season “indefinitely”, rules had stated the domestic season should be finished by June 1.

The further suspension of English football is no surprise. The game cannot continue as the coronavirus pandemic spreads. The significance of today is the decision of the FA board, and their agreement to “extend indefinitely” the time limit to the end of the season.

You can listen again here: https://audioboom.com/posts/7535647-we-are-together-love-sport-radio