sport magazine - issue 260
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Sport magazine - Issue 260TRANSCRIPT
Pride of LionsEngland face Sweden with faith restored
Issue 260 | June 15 2012
Renewed optimism starts here
issue 260, june 15 2012
Radar
07 The best league in the world... ... has sent most of its players to be the worst at the Euros. So far
10 The Kentucky Kid That’s US MotoGP rider Nicky Hayden – on this weekend’s Grand Prix at Silverstone
12 Slammin’ skateboards Pretend it’s still summer with decks inspired by lolly sticks
13 Man City: Richer Than God David Conn’s new book offers an intriguing study of his own club
o this coming weekFeatures
20 Euro 2012 We analyse England’s draw with France, and look at the team’s remaining Group D opponents
34 Michael Phelps The most decorated Olympian in history tells us his goals remain lofty. What are they? Er...
42 Inside the Octagon Why UFC is set on being the biggest sport on the planet
56 The Gentle Way Team GB judoka Euan Burton says he can medal in London
extra Time
68 Gadgets Imagine how flimsy refs’ decisions would appear on a pencil-thin TV
70 Geena Mullins Slightly ahead of Davis and G, our favourite Geena graces Sport once more. Ooh, aah...
72 Entertainment Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water... Jaws returns to cinema screens
74 Grooming This week, the best things come in little round pots of goodness
20
42
34
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| June 15 2012 | 03
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NOTHING BEATS
A GREAT START.
From top: Robin van Persie breaks out his Emile Heskey tribute act; Petr Cech finally gets both hands to the ball; Mario Balotelli versus Spain (not shown: Sergio Ramos bent double with laughter)
Radarp10 – The Kentucky Kid talks stick and ball
| June 15 2012 | 07
p13 – Man City: richer than God, apparently
Forget England analysis for a
moment (plenty of that from page
20), we couldn’t help but notice that
quite a few of the Premier League’s foreign
stars endured a woeful start to Euro 2012.
Some of you may have noticed that Samir
Nasri scored, but Wojciech Szczesny let in
a dodgy goal, gave away a penalty and picked
up a red card in the opening match (he was
saved the embarrassment of trending on
Twitter thanks to the fact that few social
networkers can spell his name – LOL!), while
Petr Cech and Shay Given did passable
impressions of a drunken clown in conceding
a total of seven goals in their Euro bows.
Goalkeepers aside, Man City’s Mario
Balotelli dawdled like a halfwit when
through on goal against Spain and was
tackled (then promptly substituted),
while Robin van Persie showed he’d
forgotten to pack his Arsenal form, as
he went air-shot crazy in Holland’s loss
to Denmark. At least Fernando Torres
showed his club colours for country,
displaying the array of nervous touches
and finishing Chelsea fans know all too well.
Add in poor initial displays by Damien Duff,
Tomas Rosicky and – yes – even John O’Shea,
and it was a disappointing first round for the
Prem. Still, we’re writing this before the
second group games, so hopefully things have
improved by the time you read it. Perhaps
RvP, Balotelli and Torres have all joined Nikica
Jelavic and Nasri on the scoresheet. Perhaps
you’re laughing and pointing at this page while
we scrape rancid, filthy egg off our faces. We
certainly hope so. We’d hate to discover that
Sky have been lying to us and we haven’t
really been watching the greatest league in
the the galaxy™ all this time.
Premier disaster
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10 | June 15 2012 |
Radar
ondon 2012 gives us a chance to
show off the best of British. Not in
terms of athletes (we can just nab
those from other nations), but in terms of
design. This free Tate Britain exhibition
features all of the Olympic and Paralympic
posters for 2012, including eye-catching
artwork from various Turner Prize winners.
From Thursday June 21, tate.org.uk. See
the Sport magazine iPad app for all posters
When was the first time you rode a motorbike?
“I was three years old, they tell me. I don’t
remember – but that’s how the story goes.”
So can we assume your family got you into
it – not an overeager pre-school teacher?
“Yeah, my whole family’s into riding – both
of my brothers now are in America racing in
the AMA Superbike Championship, my dad
used to race, my cousins race. It’s pretty
much what we know.”
Will you be getting your kids on bikes?
“I would say there’s a good chance my kids will
be riding motorcycles. I mean, I haven’t got that
far along yet, but we’ll worry about it one day.”
Can you recall your first race?
“I remember my first race as a child – it was
just a small race. I guess I remember the ones
I lost more than the ones I won.”
You must remember your first MotoGP win?
“Oh for sure, I remember my first win like it
was yesterday. I won my home GP – Laguna
Seca 2005. It was just a pretty magical day.”
How big is the sport in the US now?
“It’s growing a lot, now that we have two
races in America the popularity has grown –
especially when I won the championship.
There’s still so many American sports that
have been around forever and have a little bit
more culture – a lot of stick and ball stuff.”
Do you get recognised a lot when you’re
back home?
“In my hometown, for sure. I don’t come from
a real big town. I get recognised in America,
but I wouldn’t say I get mobbed. So it’s kind
of actually nice sometimes to go home.”
Do you follow any of that stick and ball stuff
when you’re back?
“I like basketball, especially. I like college stuff,
coming from Kentucky – Kentucky Wildcats
are probably my favourite team. And NBA –
I like the Thunder [Oklahoma City Thunder].”
Are you looking forward to the race at
Silverstone this weekend?
“Yeah, Silverstone is a track I really like. I was
talking to Cal Crutchlow the other day, and he
said a couple of corners have been repaved,
which should be better.”
What is that you like about Silverstone
in particular?
“It’s the longest track on the championship,
lap time-wise; and you know it’s really fast,
really, really fun. I like high-speed corners,
and at Silverstone we get our chance.
There’s plenty of places to pass – it’s got
a little bit of everything to it.”
Nicky Hayden is the 2006 MotoGP World
Champion and a Tissot Brand Ambassador.
Turn to page 29 for an interview with
defending MotoGP champion Casey Stoner
L
Olympic eye candy
Sport chats to the Kentucky Kid – not a fried chicken mascot, but MotoGP rider and 2006 world champ Nicky Hayden – ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix
Corner- clipping good
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12 | June 15 2012 |
From $167 (AUD), hollowayeyewear.com.au
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espite the bedraggled
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of year for two Sport favourites:
skateboarding in the sunshine
and delicious, additive-filled ice lollies. These super Pop
Skateboard Decks, designed by the wonderfully titled Rory
Panagotopulos, unify both. Inspired by lolly sticks, the decks
are available in grape, cherry or orange creamsicle. Tasty.
£42.55, shop.lin-morris.com
D
Radar
It’s a quirk of fate that David Conn
– football’s finest investigative mind,
a journalist who shines a light on the
murky world of finances and owners – also
happens to support Manchester City, a club
famed worldwide for being transformed by
a dramatic ownership change in 2008.
So, naturally he’s written a book about it.
But this is no dry piece of analysis. Rather,
it’s a warm memoir of life growing up as a
City fan in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as
a meticulous piece of research into the
realities of the modern City project – including
interviews with the powerbrokers at the top.
Conn’s even-handedness is admirable.
Despite fond memories, he doesn’t sugarcoat
the live football experience of the ’70s, while
he’s also scrupulously fair in assessing City’s
ludicrously rich owners. However, when he
recalls his younger, innocent years – “It never
occurred to me that Manchester City was a
company, that someone could own it. If I’d
thought about it, I’d have said it was a club,
like it always said it was, and so it belonged to
us all” – he speaks to all football fans. Which
is why this book makes such an engaging
read, whichever team you happen to support.
No spin City
Richer Than God:
Manchester City,
Modern Football
and Growing Up
by David Conn
(Quercus), £16.99
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| June 15 2012 | 15
Radar Editor’s letter
Editor-in-chief
Simon Caney
@simoncaney
Sport magazinePart of UTV Media plc 18 Hatfields, London SE1 8DJTelephone: 020 7959 7800 Fax: 020 7959 7942 Email: [email protected]
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T hat wasn’t too bad, all in all. Indeed, it’s hard to actually remember a better England performance at a major tournament.
Certainly, there was nothing at the
2010 World Cup that was remotely as
good. We weren’t even at Euro 2008,
and in the 2006 World Cup, victories over
Paraguay, Trinidad and Tobago and
Ecuador were as good as it got. So we
go back eight years – to the time Wayne
Rooney announced himself to the world
at Euro 2004 – to find an England
performance as convincing. Yes,
I know that’s mildly depressing.
Still, all credit to Roy Hodgson, who
has brought something different to this
England team – a pattern, for one thing.
All 11 men (and even Gary Neville on the
touchline) singing the National Anthem,
for another.
The problem that Hodgson faces, not
just in this tournament but over the next
few years, is in picking his squad. There
are few players with a genuine grievance
about not being in the squad (Micah
Richards is perhaps the only one). While
the bare 11 is fine, beyond that it’s all
gone a bit Jordan Henderson.
The future could see a midfield of
Jacks Wilshere and Rodwell, Alex
Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott.
In attack, Danny Welbeck is improving at
an enormous rate, Daniel Sturridge offers
something different, and Wayne Rooney is
still a young man. But after those players,
who is there? What striking options will
Hodgson have at his disposal in two years?
Remember the days when the likes of
Robbie Fowler, Ian Wright and Matthew Le
Tissier could only get fewer than 70 caps
between them? Ah, we didn’t appreciate
the riches we had back then...
The International Cricket Council really
does need to get to grips with the issue
of bad light. If both sides want to carry
on, as England and the West Indies did
on Saturday, then for heaven’s sake let
the umpires use some common sense.
The paying crowd, starved of action
because of so much bad weather,
had every right to be furious.
The problem with a sport such as boxing, in which there are judges making decisions on the outcome, is... well, that there are judges making decisions on the outcome. Even if there are supposedly stricter guidelines for them to follow than there is in, say, ice dancing, there is still a grey area of subjectivity – as evidenced in Manny Pacquiao’s defeat to Tim Bradley last week. The only answer would be to fight on – and on, and on – until there’s a knockout or simply a submission. Would play havoc with the TV schedules, mind.
So far, so good...... but the extent of England’s ambitions may be mirrored by our dearth of talent
Agree or disagree? Tweet us @sportmaguk
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Jordan Henderson signs up to the hype –
but is he good enough?
Reader comments of the week
@Sportmaguk
@simoncaney Have to pull
you up on ‘Hodgson has
taken the view’. The FA
made the decision. Hope
the media drops the Rio
story..
@paulcruse07
Ferdinand has done 0 wrong,
JT overall is dubious & the
accused and you think it’s OK
for F to be left out & JT in
without ANY transparency.
Same with Cook’s situation.
Double standard!
@ElinaGrigoriou
@simoncaney good piece
on rio/terry in sport but
do you really think it would
have been the end of it if
Roy had been honest?.
@BLUEWOOL
Good reality check from
@simoncaney in today’s
@Sportmaguk re
Hodgon’s picky picking on
England squad
@KliyahLDN
@simoncaney p20 today.
Deputy editor Ivan
Kalashnikov? You couldn’t
make it up...
@amr37
16 | June 15 2012 |
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No jacket requiredWillkommen to the world of German
sexpot Jogi Löw, Germany’s answer to
James Bond. Here we find him stepping out
of another dangerously fast sports car,
dressed in the low-cut T-shirt of a man
half his age and sporting no socks – and
probably no pants either. It was shot only
yesterday but could have been taken any
day of any week of any year. Because,
for Jogi, it’s a full-time way of life.
Radar Frozen in time
| 17
20 | June 15 2012 |
Euro 2012 The Second Fixture
England have failed to get the better of Sweden in seven competitive internationals dating back to a World Cup qualifier in October 1988. Three of those failures – and, let’s face it, that’s what they have been – have come at the finals of major tournaments, beginning with Graham Taylor not liking a whole lot about a tournament-ending defeat almost 20 years ago to the day...
Sweden 2 England 1June 17 1992, SolnaAfter the glory of (not winning) Italia '90
under Bobby Robson, an England side
now led by Graham Taylor went to Euro
'92 as one of the favourites. But they went
into this final group game against the hosts
on the back of two uninspired goalless
draws against Denmark and France, and
under pressure from a demanding press
back home. It all looked to be going fine
when David Platt put England ahead on
four minutes, but Jan Eriksson equalised
shortly after half-time – and, when Taylor
chose to replace Gary Lineker (left) with
Alan Smith soon after, we all started to
worry. We were right to; with eight minutes
to go, future Crystal Palace fatso Tomas
Brolin ghosted in to plant an exquisite
strike beyond Chris Woods. Game over
for England in the last eight-team Euros.
20 years of hurt
Reasons to be cheerful
It may not have been samba football, but Roy Hodgson’s England produced a very solid performance to take a point off France on Monday.
Tonight they face Sweden, and we say the signs are positive...
| 21
Sweden 2 England 2June 20 2006, CologneAnother World Cup, another group fixture,
and an England team still under the
tutelage of Eriksson took yet another
first-half lead against the Swedes, the
impressive Joe Cole (remember him?)
smashing in from distance. Burly former
Aston Villa striker Marcus Allback headed
in an equaliser shortly after half time, but
England looked to have secured their
third win from three group games when
substitute Steven Gerrard nodded in with
only five minutes remaining. It wasn't to
be, however, as poacher extraordinaire
Henrik Larsson (left) pounced from close
range in the dying seconds. Both sides
progressed (again), England went further
(again), but that elusive competitive win
over the Swedes remains unachieved.
Until now, perhaps...
1. Efficient England...If there is one thing that Roy Hodgson
will bring to the England team, it is
organisation. His team lined up in two
solid banks of four, and while France
enjoyed plenty of possession – and at
times dominated the midfield – they
were largely restricted to pot shots
from long range. Scott Parker ran
himself into the ground (literally, at one
point), while Steven Gerrard, maybe
mindful he is not as mobile as he once
was, played in a more disciplined deep
role. Against a Sweden team that is
largely bereft of ideas other than
giving the ball to Zlatan Ibrahimovic
and hoping for the best, a similar game
plan (whoever takes the field) from
England should yield results. In short,
they looked like a team.
2. The innocence of youthAll of that said, England played with some
flair, especially in the opening half hour.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, inexplicably
criticised by some afterwards, actually
ran at defenders with the ball at his
feet, thus becoming the first English
player to do so since Tom Finney in
1957. Playing him was a bold move from
Hodgson, but one we think paid off –
the Ox will only get better, and offers
something different for England.
Another youngster to shine was Danny
Welbeck, who was superb in the lone
striker role. He will face tougher
opposition than France's comedy duo
of Philippe Mexes and Adil Rami, but he
showed terrific movement and was
especially good with his back to goal,
retaining possession even when
isolated. A certain starter tonight.
3. A case for the defenceHodgson had to choose between taking
John Terry and Rio Ferdinand to this
tournament, and on Monday's evidence
England 1 Sweden 1June 2 2002, SaitamaAlmost a full decade later, England rocked
up at the World Cup in Japan/South Korea
coached by Swedish loverman Sven-
Goran Eriksson. Fate would have it that
they would open their campaign against
the very nation from which he hailed, but
all looked to be going well (again) when
Sol Campbell (left) headed in the opener
on 24 minutes. It soon became an all too
familiar case of 'first half good, second half
not so good', however, as the Swedes
dominated the second period. Niclas
Alexandersson equalised after an
absolute ricket by Danny Mills on 59
minutes, after which only a pair of fine
saves from an ageing David Seaman
spared England's blushes. Improbably, the
team battled through to the quarters,
eventually falling to 10-man Brazil.
he chose wisely. Terry didn't put a foot
wrong, ably assisted by Joleon Lescott
at centre-back. Glen Johnson may have
been profligate in attack, but he did a
job on one of the world's top players,
Franck Ribery – who was possibly
France's most disappointing player as
a result. Behind the back four, Joe Hart
(and let's agree the goal wasn't his fault)
set the tone: he's simply one of the best
goalkeepers in the world. Sweden are
even more lacking in strikers than
England; as long as Ibrahimovic is
marshalled (see overleaf for more on
that), it is hard to see them scoring.
4. Rotten SwedesForget the Shevchenko hype for a
second; Ukraine did not have to play
especially well to beat Sweden. This is
not a Swedish team of old – back in the
day they were strong, physical units
who were very tough to break down.
They may still have Olof Mellberg at the
back, but he's now 49 years old and
those around him do not provoke any
great fear. If Oxlade-Chamberlain can
again run at the opposition, and Ashley
Young can offer Welbeck more support,
then Sweden will concede. Fact.
5. The Rooney effectEngland's best player (by some way)
will be in the stands again tonight, but
there is no doubting that Wayne Rooney
is an integral part of this team. He was
kicking every ball against France and
will be champing at the bit to take the
field on Tuesday against Ukraine – and
that can only inspire his teammates,
especially Young. Rooney will support
Welbeck, which could see Young pushed
wide (and James Milner playing centrally
if Parker or Gerrard succumb to any
wear or tear). Whatever calls Hodgson
is juggling, the imminent return of his
best player can only be a good thing.
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Euro 2012 The Second Fixture
Can England get quick support to Danny Welbeck?As we have already said on the previous page, Welbeck put in an impressive shift against France on Monday. Strong with his back to goal, he used the ball intelligently and looked dangerous when pulling wide of his markers and running down the channels. He is only going to cause more problems to a Swedish defence that somehow managed to look static against the 72-year-old Andriy Shevchenko and the paceless Andriy Voronin, but if England are to take full advantage of Olof Mellberg’s age, they will have to offer Welbeck quicker and more consistent support than he enjoyed against the French. That means improvement from Ashley Young, who disappointed on Monday, and a bit more ambition from at least one of the central midfielders. And, on that score...
How long can England’s central midfield soldier on?Both Steven Gerrard, lying deeper than we have become used to, and Scott Parker played well against France – but Gerrard no longer covers ground like he once did, while the admirable Parker visibly tired after a typically energetic performance. Neither Sweden nor Ukraine boast anything to worry the England midfield any more than Yohan Cabaye (how did he not get booked, by the way?) or Alou Diarra did on Monday, but it is not the footballing angle that worries us. Parker missed a lot of football towards the end of the domestic season and Gerrard hasn’t played three full games in a week for Liverpool for a long time; if either or both fall over any time soon, Roy Hodgson may have to call on Jordan Henderson – and that’s not something any of us want to see.
What to do about Zlatan Ibrahimovic?As we saw on Monday, Hodgson plays a rigid two banks of four in front of Joe Hart. It worked well enough in the main, but Samir Nasri’s goal came about through those banks sitting too close together and allowing a clever attacking midfielder to find time and space from which to unleash the kind of shot that can cause England problems. We all recall what Mesut Ozil and Thomas Muller did to us from similar positions at the World Cup, and that is exactly the role the great Zlatan now occupies for Sweden. Does Hodgson detail one of his midfielders (most likely Parker) to get in his face early, or does he ask one of his centre-backs (probably Joleon Lescott) to follow him deep? We suspect the former, but it needs to work – Ibrahimovic is Sweden’s only true dangerman.
The key questions
Andreas Isaksson
(4-2-3-1)
The likely line-ups
Olof Mellberg
Behrang Safari
Andreas Granqvist
Mikael Lustig
Rasmus Elm
Christian Wilhelmsson
Kim Kallstrom
Anders Svensson
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Johan Elmander
Danny Welbeck
Ashley Young
Scott Parker
James Milner
Steven Gerrard
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
John Terry
Glen Johnson
Joleon Lescott
Ashley Cole
Joe Hart
Friday June 15, Group D
SWEDEn v EnGLAnDOlympic Stadium, Kiev, BBC One, 7.45pm
(4-2-3-1)
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22 | June 15 2012 |
Euro 2012 The Second Fixture
Friday June 15, Group D
UkrainE v FrancEDonbass arena, Donetsk, iTV1 5pm
Friday morning, but no one wants to lie in and keep on
dreaming quite as much as the
population of Ukraine do right now. Did
it really happen? A goal down against
Sweden until 35-year-old national hero
Andriy Shevchenko rolled back the
years to earn a rousing 2-1 comeback
win for the tournament co-hosts. It's a
sporting drama story even Sly Stallone
would reject as too unlikely.
One impact of Ukraine's win is that
the onus is now on France to try to win
this Group D clash. A draw keeps Ukraine
in a strong position, so they can afford
to let their opponents take the initiative
and look to hit them on the break.
Breaking Les BleusAn enticing plan in theory, as Ukrainian
wingers Yevhen Konoplyanka and Andriy
Yarmolenko were both lively against
Sweden – and while bustling French
right-back Mathieu Debuchy was a
threat against England, both he and
left-back Patrice Evra are attacking
players who leave space behind them
as they get forward.
On top of this, England can attest to
the fact that the French centre-backs,
Adil Rami and Philippe Mexes, aren't
too hot at dealing with set-pieces or
clearing headers from inside the box.
How did Shevchenko score his double
against Sweden? That's right: two
bullet headers against a static defence.
French fanciesBefore you rush to the bookies with
your life savings and bung them on a
Ukraine win, however, there are crucial
counterbalances to this. For one, the
French have a far superior team to the
Swedes. Karim Benzema, Samir Nasri
and Franck Ribery all had their moments
against England, and will be confident
of creating – and then taking – more
chances in Donetsk today.
Also, while Ukraine displayed gusto
and no little guile in attacking the
24 | June 15 2012 |
Hugo Lloris
(4-5-1)
The likely line-ups
Philippe Mexes
Patrice Evra
adil rami
Mathieu Debuchy
Florent Malouda
Franck ribery
Yann M'Vila
Samir nasri
Yohan cabaye
karim Benzema
Serhiy nazarenko
andriy Yarmolenko
anatoliy Tymoshchuk
Yevhen konoplyanka
Taras Mykhalyk
Oleh Husyev
Yevhen khacheridi
Yevhen Selin
andriy Pyatov
(4-4-2)
Swedes, their defending was not
nearly as impressive. Zlatan
Ibrahimovic received little support
from a poor Swedish attack, but he
still still scored one, hit the post with a
header he should have buried and gave
shaky-looking Ukrainian keeper Andriy
Pyatov several other scares. In truth,
Ukraine's key player is likely to be
Bayern Munich midfield metronome
Anatoliy Tymoshchuk, who will have the
dual responsibilities of protecting a
ropey back four and distributing the
ball quickly and cleverly when Ukraine
get possession and look to counter.
The reality is that the odds are
against Ukraine, but a raucous crowd
will be right behind them, and France
remain a team not quite the sum of its
talented parts. One thing is for certain,
though: if Shevchenko scores again,
the Ukraine fans will be pinching
themselves hard to make sure Euro
2012 is not taking place entirely
in dreamland.
andriy Shevchenko
andriyVoronin
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Key Q:
Last three meetingsUkraine 1-4 France 2011Ukraine 2-2 France 2007France 2-0 Ukraine 2007
Group A
Final group fixtures
Czech Republic v PolandJune 16, 7.45pm, BBC One
Greece v RussiaJune 16, 7.45pm, BBC Three
Denmark v GermanyJune 17, 7.45pm, ITV 4
Portugal v HollandJune 17, 7.45pm, ITV 1
Croatia v SpainJune 18, 7.45pm, BBC Three
Italy v IrelandJune 18, 7.45pm, BBC One
Group B
Group C
All games live on
England v UkraineJune 19, 7.45pm, ITV1
Sweden v FranceJune 19, 7.45pm, ITV4
Group D
| 25
Do France need more from Olivier?Karim Benzema is a classy front man, but the Real Madrid attacker likes to drop back and out wide, linking play and working for his team. All well et bon, but it often leaves France low on men in the box. To the surprise of some, Olivier Giroud – joint top scorer in Ligue 1 last season – was not introduced against England. He’s unlikely to start this one, but Giroud could offer France a different option in what looks like a must-win match.
26 | June 15 2012 |
Euro 2012 The Story So Far
Hamsters, hatred and hairA random train of thought on the first week of Euro 2012...
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Twelve minutes... 720 seconds. That’s all it took to complete the
opening ceremony, something all
future party planners might like to bear
in mind. The times being austere and the
presence of the penniless Greeks in the
opening game meant they avoided any
ostentatious show of cash-spunking in
favour of brevity – the lowest-key ceremony
we can ever recall. Hence we saw a
combination of dancing girls in tight body
stockings and funny hats, half a dozen party
poppers and a pianist better at tickling the
ivories than juggling a football. Not even the
presence of a fat DJ in a gold shirt blasting
out Euro techno could dampen proceedings.
And it ended as soon as it had begun, with
homemade placards revealing the flags of all
16 nations and Sport reflecting on the ‘key
Euro values of unity, rivalry, passion and
crippling debt’. Danny Boyle, take note.
The key thing we learned from watching
England play France was that Wayne Rooney has wasted his money. Repeated
shots of his new hamster-hide hairpiece
confirm it looks worse than before
Belgravia’s finest went to work with gilded
needle and thread. The problem is clear:
newly liberated in that he now has something
to comb over, Rooney is trying too hard to
mimic one of the most complex hair styles on
the planet: the Scotty Parker spiv slick. But
Parker’s piece is far more complicated than
it looks, and its owner is playing with a full
set of follicles, not the patchy Shreddies
stapled into Rooney’s skull. Still, it’s when he
demands cornrows we’ll really need to worry.
Who the hell painted Alan Hansen’s new
eyebrows on? And could they not have a go
sober next time? And why is Gary Lineker
incapable of even mentioning The Germans
without inciting racial hatred? “Shouldn’t
really say putting the towels out,” he said,
referring to The Germans and really saying
it. Again. And could the BBC’s demotion of
Alun Shearer from stitched-in sofa grunt to
pitchside pariah to tea boy to P45 please
gather more pace? If they do insist on using
him pitchside, could the Beeb inform Alun the
smile isn’t working? Ordinarily it denotes
warmth, but that inane grin of Shearer’s
smacks of a man who knows he’s getting
away with it at the licence fee-payer’s
expense. (And, while Shearer’s smile
confirms he has a face for radio, Jamie
Carragher has a voice for Ceefax.)
Meanwhile, on the other side, what
happens if you sit Roy Keane beside
Patrick Vieira beside Gareth
Southgate? Evidently far less than
ITV were expecting and we were
all praying. And, just a thought, but
is the reason Mario Balotelli surrounds himself with such
nonsense in England simply a
smokescreen to conceal how
bog-average he actually is?
Witness the sight of the giant
child bearing down on the
Spanish goal and being
surprised that someone might want to tackle
him. He’s very evidently not the Messiah.
And how long before Spain can just be
done with it and stick Iker Casillas in their
pioneering new 10-man midfield?
Meanwhile, the Capello Index is back, to
far less fanfare than before – but every bit
as insightful as you’d expect of a project
involving a free-wheeling, money-hungry,
clearly-couldn’t-give-one-any-more former
England manager. To recap, should you
have missed the premise, Fabio Capello has
nothing better to do than watch every Euro
2012 game and rate every single player.
Currently, at the time of typing, the most
successful players, according to his critical
gaze, are Dzagoev (75.01), Krohn-Dehli
(74.05), Gomez (etc), Shevchenko (etc),
Lescott, Nasri, Di Natale, Fabregas... hold
on, aren’t these just the players who
have scored? Sounds suspiciously
like Fab’s phoning shit in again.
Elsewhere, we were already aware
that Cristiano Ronaldo gets his hair cut at least every week, just
to maintain the exacting standards
of the world’s greatest narcissist.
What we only discovered halfway
through Portugal’s game against
Germany is that he now likes to
have it restyled at half-time. First
half, Don Draper slick; second half,
the tousle of a vainglorious tart.
How long before Wayne Rooney
cottons on? Roll on week two.
| June 15 2012 | 29
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Casey Stoner
When a multiple world champion leaves his sport, it's usually at the end of
a long and distinguished
career, with ample time
to reflect on the highs,
lows and all that youthful potential fully
realised. Not so in the case of defending
MotoGP champion Casey Stoner.
Last month, Stoner announced that he
will retire from the sport at the end of
the current season. Still just 26, and in
the running for a third world title, the
most surprising thing about Stoner's
announcement is that it didn't really come
as a shock. The Australian has always been
honest and outspoken. Just last year he told
Sport that the thrill of racing had left him,
and that he saw it more as a job he had
to do. So now begins the long goodbye, and
it's some notice period – Stoner is 20 points
off the championship lead with 13 races to
go, starting at Silverstone this weekend.
Last year you told us racing MotoGP wasn't
“huge amounts of fun” for you anymore.
Is that why you've decided to call it a day?
“It's not something that's come on new,
so whatever I've said to people has been
around for a long time – and these are
things I've said for a long time. There's
a lot of different factors that are all part
of the decision. It's been accumulated over
a long time to the point where, yeah – it just
wasn't worth the difficulty of it any more,
and it was better for me to find new
challenges in my life.”
Has being a new father been one of the
contributing factors?
“No, to be honest. I've said I've been thinking
about this for years now. And, y'know, the
only thing the new family helped me with
was... when I had kind of made the decision,
it just helped me go through with it a little
bit easier and almost gave me support that
I had made the right decision.”
What about the safety aspect in the wake
of last year's tragic events?
“I've always known this sport’s dangerous,
and it seems like nobody else does. I'm the
one who likes that respect between racers,
and everybody else wants to see biff and
bash and they want to see us sitting on the
handlebars and all the rest of it – but they
forget that this isn't a safe sport. We're not
covered in cotton wool and safe from any
impact. This is something that's becoming
disappointing from fans. I've known for a
long time that anything can happen at any
moment. It just disappoints me to think
people really don't care – all they wanna
see is racing and hitting and punching and
all the rest of it. So, no – it had absolutely
nothing to do with my decision.”
Are you still up for another title scrap
with Jorge Lorenzo, and trying to go out
on a high with another championship win?
“To be honest, I'm willing to go out on
whatever we can get. We never go into a
championship thinking: ‘Oh yeah, we'd be
happy with second or third.’ We're out there
to try and win it. Things looked bleak at this
point of the championship last year – we
were almost 30 points behind. We're a lot
closer to the front this time, and a lot more
realistic for the championship. I'll never
go out on track and just let people win.
We'll still give it 100 per cent.”
What's your relationship with Jorge like –
you guys have obviously been great rivals
on the track for the past few years?
“We get on very well, to be honest. I think
between myself, Jorge, Dani [Pedrosa]
and quite a few of the top riders we
have a huge respect for each other. >
After seven years, two World Championships and 35 race wins, Casey Stoner retires from MotoGP at the end of the season. We caught up with him ahead of his last ever British Grand Prix on Sunday
The long goodbye
“People forget this isn’t a safe sport. It disappoints me to think people don’t care – all they wanna see is racing and hitting and punching and all the rest”
Sunday
MotoGP | Round 6:
British Grand Prix
Silverstone
BBC Two 1pm
30 | June 15 2012 |
Casey Stoner
Da
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“We know how difficult it is to be here –
and how hard it is to get here – so I think
there is a big respect between a lot of
the riders these days. Especially, I think,
between myself and Jorge – I've seen
the hardship he's gone through [the
series of injuries Lorenzo suffered] and
the problems he had at the start of his
MotoGP career, and the change he's made
as a person is huge. I've got nothing but
admiration and respect for him – the person
he is and the rider he's become. To be such
fierce competitors and have respect like
that is very refreshing.”
Who's going to step into your shoes and
challenge him next year?
“I have no idea. It's up to everybody else to
step up. At this point I don't know if anybody
else can. Jorge and Dani will be there next
year but, depending on which seats people
are in and where they are, and if they're
comfortable, maybe they can do something.”
Looking back, what would you say has been
your best moment?
“The best moment of my career was
definitely last year at Phillip Island. There
was nothing that could have really been
much better than that. Winning the World
Championship on my birthday, at my home
Grand Prix, was something special.”
What are you going to miss?
“I think the people I work with – they're
the people I'm gonna miss the most, that's
the part of it I'm gonna miss the most. I'll be
able to watch the races on TV and I'm not
gonna miss it at all. When I was looking at
the end of my career in 2009 [when Stoner
was struck down by a mystery illness that
left him tired long before the end of races
– he was later diagnosed with anemia], it
was a little bit tough not to watch myself be
out there and see what I could do. But that's
when I wanted to be there, and at the
moment I don't wanna be here – so I think
it won't be difficult.”
So no chance of a Michael Schumacher-
style comeback in a few years then?
“No I don't believe so. I mean, I can't say
what's gonna happen in a different future.
But I still don't think I'm gonna come back.
If the rules change dramatically or
something, I could be persuaded to come
back. But with the way things are going now,
I don't think so – and I really don't think I'm
gonna miss it enough to have to come back.
There's too many aspects of the sport, even
away from the racing side, that I don't enjoy.
And, unfortunately, they're only gonna
continue to get worse and more difficult.”
Valentino Rossi used to be linked with a
move into Formula 1 – would you consider
a different kind of motorsport?
“There is a completely different world I want
to move into, but I'm still not sure of that.
But I'm thinking if I have a chance to race a
V8 Supercar, it'd be fantastic. It's something
I've wanted to do for a long, long time.
“I remember telling people about that
when I was 14 or 15 – that it's something I'd
like to do. So, again, it's not something new.
I've had a lot of plans for a lot of years in my
head, and I pretty much stick to them. Even
if I've forgotten about them, eventually I
end up doing what I always thought I'd do.”
So, what do you want to do now?
“Basically, have time for family. I wanna open
my sock drawer and find socks. I don't have
drawers at the moment – all we do is travel
round in a suitcase every week. Just stay
packed and off to the next place, off to the
next place... so it'll be really nice to just wake
up in the morning and walk over to a chest
of drawers and actually find clothes in it.”
Stoner is a formidable talent who has
always excelled – from dirt racing in
New South Wales and his first foray into
road racing in the UK, through to thrilling
race wins and poles on his way to two
world titles. Despite his success, and the
millions he's earned through sponsorship
deals and image rights, this is a man who
has grown tired of the carousel of top-level
sport, tired of the travel, the training, and
– yes – the press.
With his passion for racing evaporated,
and his place in the pantheon of his
sport’s greats unequivocally assured,
Stoner has finally succumbed to the
sedate – from speeding round Silverstone
to sorting his socks.
Amit Katwala @amitkatwala
“I’ll be able to watch the races on TV and I’m not gonna miss it at all. At the moment, I don’t wanna be there. So it won’t be difficult”
Want more?For an interview with Red Bull’s Danny Kent – a British MotoGP star in the making – download the iPad app version of Sport magazine now
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34 | June 15 2012 |
Michael Phelps
End GamEs
| 35
Michael Phelps has won more Olympic golds than any athlete in history, but London 2012 may represent his final appearance on swimming’s biggest stage. Ahead of the US Olympic trials, he spoke exclusively to Sport
As a modern symbol of successful urban regeneration, the Meatpacking
District of New York seems an
appropriate location for Sport to be
meeting one of the potential stars of
London 2012 – an Olympics that, if
Lord Coe and his minions are to be
believed, is as much about the legacy of renewal
in Stratford and its surrounds as it is a festival
of elite sport.
The latter, however, it very much remains – and
in Michael Phelps, the London Games will have at its
heart the most ornately decorated Olympian ever to
walk the earth. Four years ago in Beijing, the then
23-year-old became the first athlete ever to claim
eight separate medals at two different Olympics;
but, having won six gold and two bronze in Athens in
2004, he raised the bar with a perfect eight golds
from eight events in China. Not only did he break the
great Mark Spitz's longstanding record of seven
golds at a single Games; but his performances set
him apart as the greatest gold-medallist of them all.
Phelps' tally of 14 Olympic golds is five more than
anyone else in history.
So, when we sit down for an exclusive one-to-one
with the great man himself, we feel compelled to ask
the question: just why have we heard so little from
or about you since Beijing?
"Since 2008 I haven't really done anything in the
sport of swimming," he smiles, seemingly forgetting
the 14 major-meet gold medals he has bagged in
the intervening period – nine across two World
Championships and a further five at the 2010 Pan
Pacific Championships in California. "I haven't really
been swimming too well in the past three years, and
that's my own fault. But I was able to find that out
and realise that I needed to do more; that if I didn't
want to do it any more, then I should just stop. > Jo
e K
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36 | June 15 2012 |
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Michael Phelps
"It did take me time to realise that, but
right now I'm more relaxed and calm than
I have ever been, and I'm enjoying it again.
No matter how much my coach or my mom
wanted me to be in the pool, I had to be there
because I wanted to be. It's something that
took me a while to find out, but I did. And
now I'm back to liking it again, like I did when
I was growing up – and during my first
three Olympics."
Go fourth and multiplyHis record-breaking feats at the Athens and
Beijing Games make it all too easy to overlook
the fact that Phelps has actually competed at
three Olympics: he went to Sydney in 2000 at
the tender age of 15, the youngest male to
make a US Olympic swim team in almost 70
years. He may not have won a medal down
under, coming home fifth in the men's 200m
butterfly, but his appearance marked the
beginning of an international career that
has since spanned a decade and more.
For a swimmer, that's an awfully long time –
and helps to explain why Phelps doesn't
envisage his Olympic story continuing
beyond this summer.
"I've already pretty
much said that this will
be my last Olympics,"
says a man who is yet
to turn 27 – he does so
during the US Olympic
trials in Omaha later
this month. "There are
a lot of things I still
want to accomplish
out of the pool, and
I've always said that I
never wanted to swim
past the age of 30. If I come back for another
Olympics, then that's what I'd be doing. And
I don't want to be that guy still swimming
past 30. Once I hang up my suit, I want to be
able to look back and say I've done everything
I can to achieve all that I wanted in the sport.
Then I'll be happy."
But what will make him happy in London
this summer? Phelps is notoriously guarded
when it comes to specific goals – in an
interview with this very magazine in 2009
he referred to 'lofty ambitions' for 2012
without revealing what any of them might be.
Three years on, and with the Olympics on
his figurative doorstep, he remains just
as taciturn.
"The goals are still lofty, that's for sure,"
he confirms. "But I will not tell anybody what
they are, and that's always been the same.
Throughout my career, every single year I
have different goals. But they're always very
high goals, very tough goals. Yeah, sure, it
may not be eight gold medals this year, but
they are still significant enough that they
will make me get out of bed in the morning
and do everything I know I need to do to
accomplish what I want to. The goals I have
are extremely meaningful to me, but they
are ones I think I can achieve and are keeping
me hungry."
if at first you don’t succeed...No joy there, then – so let's try a different
approach. Mark Spitz recently said he
expected Phelps to compete in a smaller
number of events in London, so as to
maximise his chances of winning gold in the
selected races. How close to the truth is he?
"That's how we've done it throughout our
whole career," Phelps says, tellingly referring
to an 'us' that reveals just how close a
relationship he has with his career-long
coach Bob Bowman. "We obviously only swim
the events we think we'll have a shot of
doing the best we can in. I don't like to lose
– nobody likes to lose – so I'm going to swim
a programme I think I'll be able to swim fast."
So how many events might that be,
Michael? "Less than eight, I'll tell you that,"
comes the most detailed response we've had
yet. "But there's only one other person who
can help me achieve my goals, and that's
my coach. My mom doesn't even know what
they are. They're very private, but if I do
accomplish them... well, then you'll know."
this beatinG heartWe certainly knew he'd reached his goals in
Beijing, where Phelps produced one of the
most primal celebrations in Olympic folklore
when teammate Jason Lezak snatched an
improbable victory from the jaws of certain
defeat with a stunning last-leg swim in the
4x100m freestyle relay. Phelps' reaction is
always worth a second look, but if he could
choose only one of his eight golden swims
to watch again, which would it be? >
“no matter how much my coach or mom wanted me to be in the pool, i had to be there because i wanted to be. it’s something that took me a while to find out, but i did. and now i’m back to liking it again”
1:55.41The time Phelps clocked for the 200m butterfly in the final of the 2002 Pan Pacific Championships in Yokohama – the last occasion on which he was beaten in the event at a major championships. He has since set six new world records at the distance, the last of which – 1:51.51, in Rome in July 2009 – still stands
Selected stores. Available while stocks last. Online prices may vary from those in-store. Offer available from 8am on Friday 15th June 2012. ©2012 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
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Ca
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10
Michael Phelps
“I watch the 100m butterfly final and just don’t know how I did it. I went over to Crocker to shake hands, and he said: ‘You must have a guardian angel with you, I have no idea how you’re doing this’”
"I actually watched all of them recently,"
he confesses, smiling. And why wouldn't he?
"But, if I had to choose one, it would probably
be the 100m butterfly [in which he came
from a mile behind to deny the Serbian
Milorad Cavic on the touch, much as the
naked eye suggested otherwise] or that
4x100m freestyle relay. Obviously winning
gold is always about being in the right
place at the right time, but both those
races were won by less than a tenth of
a second. That defines being in the right
place at the right time."
What does Phelps remember of the 100m
butterfly final, in particular? "I still watch the
race and just don't know how I did it," he says.
"I went over to [Ian] Crocker to shake hands
after the race, and I still remember exactly
what he said. He said: 'You must have a
guardian angel with you, I have no idea how
you're doing this right now.' I always remember
those tiny little memories from each of my
races, but that one really sticks out for me."
The RYan gameIf Phelps wants to talk about results sticking
out, then we have to bring him on to his
defeats at last year's World Championships
in Shanghai. Back in the country where he
became the greatest Olympian of all time,
Phelps tasted not one but two individual
defeats – in the 200m freestyle and, to the
amazement of the world, the 200m individual
medley. His vanquisher in both races was
his US teammate and contemporary Ryan
Lochte – but how much should we read into
those defeats, and do they worry Phelps
ahead of London?
"I mean, I did do a lifetime best in the
individual medley at those championships," he
reflects. "Sure, I only got second, but Ryan's
been swimming great for the past couple of
years. And it's great for me to have that
rivalry and competition, knowing that every
time I get in the water with him we're going
to push each other to the max.
"That's something I enjoy a lot, and we've
been competing against each other for the
past seven or eight years now. We were on
the 2004 Olympic team together, and we've
been on every team since. Hopefully this
year I'm in better shape, though, and can
actually give him a race."
Phelps' rivalry with Lochte is one that
could light up the pool this summer, when
swimming will take its traditional once-
every-four-years position towards the
forefront of the nation's sporting
consciousness. It's a sport that demands
intense, long-term training that few outside
its inner circle can truly understand – but
the accepted view that every swimmer gets
up in the middle of the night for a pre-dawn
50 lengths is one that this particular
champion is keen to challenge.
"A lot of swimmers do wake-up swims,
where they get up extra-early, go to the pool
and then head back home or to the hotel,"
says Phelps, whose own winning ritual is,
enjoyably, somewhat more regular.
"But my wake-up swim is to jump in the
shower. It's always been that time by myself,
to stretch, get ready and try to get my head
in the right spot."
In a fortnight's time, as the US Olympic
trials draw to a close in Nebraska, the
watching world will gain a clearer insight
into just how close to the right spot Phelps'
head, and his form, truly are ahead of his
Olympic swansong. If he arrives in London
fit and firing to achieve those nebulous old
goals of his, then we could well witness
the greatest Olympian of them all get a
whole lot greater.
Tony Hodson @tonyhodson1
Michael Phelps is the global ambassador for
head&shoulders. The new limited-edition Michael
Phelps shampoo bottle is available now in ASDA
stores nationwide, RRP £4.99
201Length, in centimetres, of Phelps’ arm span. The distance is disproportionate to his height of 193cm, theoretically giving him greater propulsion through the water than his more proportionately sized rivals in the pool
| June 15 2012 | 39
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11/2 Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain or Theo Walcott to score the fi rst goal
For 24 other coupled fi rst goal scorer markets and a full list of bets visit www.888sport.com
| June 15 2012 | 41
He’s won four Olympic gold medals and is a sports journalist in his own right. Matthew Pinsent tells Sport just how excited he is about the Games coming to London…
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Sir Matthew Pinsent
“I’m frankly
disappointed I wasn’t
in the Olympic legends
line-up,” Sir Matthew
Pinsent says with a
self-mocking smile
as he grips a copy
of Sport’s recent
Olympic Legends
issue – the one with Steve Redgrave on the
cover. “And I’m edited out of that one,” he
continues, pointing at a cropped image of
the victorious coxless four shortly after
they crossed the finish line in Sydney.
We mumble our apologies and ask Pinsent
about his current occupation as a sports
reporter for the BBC.
“It means I know how to be a really crap
interviewee, and just give you monosyllabic
answers,” he says, with that same smile.
“But, once you’ve been at the top level of
sport for five or six years, you’ve pretty
much been asked every question going.”
No pressure for this interview, then.
But let’s start with this summer…
How excited are you about the Olympics?
“I’ve been ridiculously excited about it for
getting on seven years. I was there in 2005
when the inspectors came and we were
standing in hard hat and Welly boots in what
felt like a ploughed field in Stratford, and
saying: ‘Right, imagine the stadium will be
there,’ and all that sort of stuff. It’s something
I was so passionate about for so long. And
now it’s going to take hold of the nation.”
Are you disappointed you won’t be
competing in your home Games?
“No, because I didn’t just miss by one. If
I’d stopped after Beijing, then I might have
always questioned… but I’m 42 this year.
I remember what I was like in my 20s, and
I can’t do that any more. It’s not a desire
thing – I’m confident I could relight the
desire. It’s more on an actual blood, sweat
and tears physical output level.”
Do you miss it?
“No. I don’t miss the training, certainly. I miss
the people. I miss the camaraderie. But that’s
something you can replicate. I suppose I miss
the simplicity of life. The fact that you’re
saying: ‘Right, for the next four years, I’m
going to do this.’ Everything else falls by the
wayside. But the counterpoint to that is that
it’s a very mad way of living life, frankly.”
Who are you looking forward to seeing
compete in London, outside of rowing?
“There’s the modern pentathlon – we’ve just
got a new world champion in Mhairi Spence.
Modern pentathlon is a fantastic… I don’t
want to call it a ‘product’. But as a sporting
exercise, it’s hard to imagine a more
all-encompassing day. That was brilliant
[reporting on it] in Beijing. I hope I get to do
the same again in London. Taekwondo is a
great sport. Hopefully Aaron [Cook] gets his
selection. Then there’s sprint canoeing – flat
water. Tim Brabants is defending Olympic
champion, and there’s a young guy called
Ed McKeever who’s going in the K1 200m.”
You mentioned Aaron Cook. What do you
make of his non-selection?
“It’s disastrous for him. It’s disastrous for
Lutalo [Muhammad] as well. For one of them,
their whole Olympic experience is going to be
ruined. Trashed. That’s the first thing I would
lay at [British] Taekwondo’s door – how
could you possibly get to this stage having
not made it clear that there was going to be
this issue? Aaron was selected for the Euro
Championships in March, and then he wins.
Then in June he’s told: ‘Sorry, the Olympics is
not for you.’ That, to me, is… what’s going on?”
Cook quit British Taekwondo’s programme
after frustration over ‘negative tactics’...
“But he did that 18 months ago. If they had
an issue with him, it should have been laid at
his door then and there. You have all that out
at the time. You don’t have it out eight weeks
before the Games. It’s bizarre. Bizarre.”
How will reporting on the Olympics
compare to what you had as a competitor?
“I knew when I stopped after 2004 there’d
be nothing that made me feel like standing on
an Olympic podium. I’m glad there isn’t. It’s
a bloody hard thing to do. It shouldn’t be
matched or easily surpassed by something
else you can do in life without all that work.”
Graham Willgoss @grahamwillgoss
Sir Matthew Pinsent is Gant UK’s brand
ambassador. The partnership strengthens
Gant’s global involvement in rowing and its
Leander Club sponsorship. Visit gant.co.uk
Want more?For Pinsent on his
favourite Olympic
moments, his fears
about the Games and
not being a competitive
dad, download the iPad
app version of Sport
magazine now
his oar in
42 | June 15 2012 |
Inside the Ufc
| 43
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Once the preserve Of the blOOdthirsty few and demOnised as “human cOckfighting”, the ultimate fighting champiOnship nOw has the heart Of mainstream america and its sights set On becOming the biggest spOrt On the planet. nick harper went inside ufc 146 tO find Out why...for a pacifist, Junior dos santos is
clearly in the wrong business... A few hours previously, the Brazilian UFC
heavyweight champion of the world had
leaned in conspiratorially and exhaled.
"I do not want to hurt Frank Mir," he
explained to Sport, and we believed him.
Now, a few hours later, he's propelling his
giant right fist into the face of Frank Mir
at a truly terrifying velocity, repeatedly
and with gusto. The man they call 'Cigano'
(The Gypsy) was hoping to knock Frank
Mir clean out without hurting him, but it's
not working out that way. Frank Mir will
not go quietly.
The bell saves Mir at the end of the first
and he's ushered back to his corner, or
what passes for a corner in an octagon.
To make sure he's in a fit state to carry on,
the ringside doctor leans in and asks a
simple question: "Do you know where you
are, sir?" Without missing a beat, Mir
shoots back the answer: “Mandalay Bay,
Vegas, May 26." Sadly, at the time of
questioning, Mir is sat on his stool in the
MGM Grand, dazed and confused. But he
sounds convincing enough, so out he goes.
Quickly, Cigano drops him again with
a blur of punches, then steps back to
admire the damage and beg the lord
above for forgiveness. Mir is down,
but not entirely out, so Cigano darts back
in and administers the coup de grace –
a funny little tap on the head designed to
finally turn Mir's lights out without doing
him any damage. A timid little tap – the
pugilist's pacifier.
It's certainly not the sort of finishing
shot we expected to end a heavyweight
title fight in supposedly the most punishing
sport on earth. But then, as we sit ringside
at the Mandalay Bay – or the MGM Grand,
or wherever we are tonight – we're
sharing Mir's confusion. This is not the
UFC we thought we knew...
knOckOut, submissiOn, dOctOr, deathWhen the UFC first emerged in 1993, US
senator and future presidential candidate
John McCain infamously painted it as
"human cockfighting". Given that UFC 1
sold itself as a free-for-all between
consenting maniacs, in which 'Two Men
Enter... One Man Leaves', this was fair
comment. The only way a fight could end,
read the small print, was via 'knockout,
submission, doctor's intervention, or death'.
Back then there were only three rules:
no biting, no eye-gouging, no striking an
opponent in the groin. Anything and >
44 | June 15 2012 |
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everything else was considered fair game
and actively encouraged. With smoke
billowing from either ear, McCain shot off a
stiff missive to the Governors of all 50 US
states, demanding they ban any future UFC
events and stamp out this evil little empire
before it took a grip on society. Thirty-six
states signed up and, with a toxic fug
hanging over it, the UFC was discarded by
the television networks and driven off into
the back alleys. Teetering on the brink of
bankruptcy, it looked destined to die a slow,
inglorious death. Until a saviour showed up.
Dana White didn't have the $2m it would
cost to buy the UFC when it went on the
market in 2001, but he knew two men who
did. White ran gyms and managed fighters in
Las Vegas; his friends Lorenzo and Frank
Fertitta had made big money in the casino
industry. White convinced them that the UFC
had been heinously mismanaged, but that it
had a future as a sport. The brothers bit,
met the price and formed the parent company
'Zuffa' - Italian for 'scuffle' – with White as
president. To cut a long story very short
indeed, within five years, the UFC was
generating more than $200m in pay-per-
view revenue, and White was dancing.
No mas
Even before Zuffa took control, the UFC was
being overhauled in an attempt to improve
its image. Gloves became mandatory and
three rules became 31. Notable additions
included no hair-pulling, no twisting of the
flesh and, under no circumstances, no
inserting of any fingers into any orifice.
White also outlawed the wearing of Speedos
in the Octagon, just because.
The biggest battle Zuffa had to wage was
in convincing the world that mixed martial
arts and the UFC were safe. That PR
offensive was probably not helped by the
fact that fighters could still beat an opponent
around the head when he dropped to the
canvas – an act the detractors saw as being
cowardly and most 'un-American'. But with
the new rules in place, White considered
his sport to be no more dangerous than
badminton or cheerleading. And, with not
a single death to its name since it began,
certainly safer than its closest cousin, boxing
– in which fatalities run into the hundreds.
"What's more violent than boxing?" he
asked. "You and I stand in front of each other
for 12 rounds, and my goal is to hit you so
hard I knock you unconscious. In the UFC, I can
beat you and win, and never punch you in the
head once. The difference is that, if I get you
into a submission and you're in a bad place,
you can tap out with honour. It’s acceptable
in MMA. In the Roberto Duran v Sugar Ray
Leonard boxing fight, when Duran said 'no mas',
he was ridiculed for the rest of his career…"
Today, even Senator McCain has been
convinced by the fastest-growing sport on
the planet. "The sport has grown up," he
admitted in 2008. "It focuses on integrity
and its many fans deserve no less." And if
you're in any doubt of the success of White's
rebranding, check out the Octagon and its
main sponsor: Bud Light – a more potent
symbol of Middle America you'd be hard
pushed to find.
the world aNd beyoNdOn a wall inside the Zuffa HQ in Las Vegas,
Nevada, hangs a piece of artwork comprised
of four large letters: 'F' 'U' 'C' and 'K', in that
order. Combined, they form one of Dana
White's favourite words, one that keeps a
high-rolling captain of industry 'grounded'.
The piece also counterbalances nicely the
very large, very original and very expensive
Damien Hirst piece hanging in reception,
a constant reminder of just how lucrative
the business has become.
As of 2012, UFC produces at least 12 main
events a year. It is broadcast in more than 150
countries worldwide in 21 different languages,
supposedly reaching more than a billion
homes. Add on the video games, festivals and
fan expos, branded apparel, trading cards,
action figures and the rest, and Zuffa is as
good as printing dollar bills. When we meet
Dana White at Zuffa HQ ahead of UFC 146, he
refuses to put a figure on it. "Let's just say
that it certainly doesn't suck," he laughs.
We've shown up at his door to get his take
on why the UFC has put a choke hold on >
UFC 146, brought to you in association with Bud Light, the all-American beer
“what’s more violeNt thaN boxiNg?” asks UFC presideNt daNa white. “iN boxiNg, my goal is to hit yoU so hard i kNoCk yoU UNCoNsCioUs. iN UFC, i CaN wiN aNd Never pUNCh yoU iN the head oNCe”
want more?For Frank Mir on getting hurt and Junior dos Santos on beating up the Klitschkos, download our iPad app version of Sport magazine now
REDEFINE THE LIMITS OF POSSIBILITY | LIMITED EDITION OAKLEY RADAR®
OFFICIAL PRODUCT OF TEAM GB
UK.OAKLEY.COM©2012 Oakley, Inc. | 01727 795791
46 | June 15 2012 |
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Inside the UFC
the whole planet, a question he's clearly been
asked before: "It's pretty simple. Firstly, we
are all human beings, and fighting is in our
DNA. We get it and we like it, and it really is
as simple as that. But equally, fighting works
all across the planet. See, your soccer is
big all over the world, but it's not big here.
The NFL's big in the US, but not anywhere
else, and it never will be. But fighting works
everywhere because the rules are so simple
to understand. You can watch a fight with
the sound switched off and still understand
what's happening."
Dana White is the man who predicted UFC
would become more popular than association
football. "Ah," he laughs. "That wound a lot of
you guys over there up, didn't it? But it's true.
The potential of UFC is enough to make your
head explode, and what we're seeing now is
only just the beginning."
He is also the man who killed boxing, or so
the theory goes. "I'm not the one who killed
boxing – they did it themselves," he says,
with the frown of a man born and raised on
the sweet science. "The
big problem is that boxing
became this sport where
two multimillionaires
stepped in to the ring and
did everything they could
to avoid a fight, all so
they could win and get to
that next payday. They
didn't care if the fight
wasn't any good. They
didn't care about short-changing the fans
who bought the tickets... I'm a boxing fan, but
I got sick of being fooled by these guys. When
you come to any UFC event, you will not get
fooled and you will not get short-changed.
I guarantee that you'll experience 'holy shit!'
moments, where you're up out of your seat
and not believing what you've just seen."
Fear and loathing in las Vegas"I'm scared, man. Any fighter who says
otherwise is bullshitting." It's now the day
before UFC 146, and Sport is sat opposite
Frank Mir, the two-time UFC heavyweight
champion. Mir is a 6ft 3ins beast whose
surname can translate, in Russian, as 'peace'.
Ironically, he's infamous for breaking the
arms of opponents who don't 'tap out' quickly
enough for his liking – an approach taught in
his favoured discipline of Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
"Listen," he explains. "I'm gonna go fight
somebody in front of thousands of people
tomorrow night against a man who can
seriously hurt me – how am I not gonna get
nervous at that? I'm courageous not because
of the lack of fear, but because of my
conduct in the presence of fear."
Across the room, the man whose plan is to
knock him unconscious is smiling widely but
dogged by the very same demons. "You have
to be always careful in this division," says the
softly spoken Junior dos Santos. "There is so
much power involved as a heavyweight and it
only takes one moment and it – the fight, the
title, the career – has gone. My nerves
remind me of what I have to do."
Surprisingly, neither man conforms to the
psychotic Neanderthal of our imagination,
at least not here and now, away from the
Octagon. According to White, this is not
unusual, given most UFC fighters are
"college-educated guys and really good
people". Which begs the question: how can
they flick the switch between passive and
aggressive so easily? This is far harder to
explain. "You just do," shrugs Mir. "It's not
something you have to think about too much
– it kind of just takes care of itself." At this,
dos Santos stops smiling: "This is just a job.
You just have to do what is required before
they do it to you. I do not want to hurt Frank,
just as I don't want to get hurt myself, but
this is what I do..."
there will be bloodOn the morning of UFC 146, Dan 'The Outlaw'
Hardy wakes with "a going-to-war-feeling".
The Nottingham-born welterweight recently
relocated to Sin City to take advantage of
the better training facilities, better sparring
partners, better weather and a better bed.
"It genuinely makes a big difference to wake
up before a fight in your own bed," he laughs.
Hardy sports an angry red mohawk and
perfectly embodies the spirit White talked of
previously. If he loses tonight, he'll have >
bible bashingThe UFC was born in 1993 (below) but mixed martial arts can be traced right back to Biblical times. According to Genesis 32 in the first book of the Holy Bible, Jacob wrestled with God at Peniel for an entire night, an encounter that left him with a dislocated hip - for God was a bad-ass on the canvas. For Jacob’s refusal to tap out, God blessed him and bestowed upon him a new name: ‘Israel’ - which apparently translated as ‘I have wrestled with God’. The UFC trace MMA back to 648BC, when the ancient Greeks engaged in Pankration, an Olympic combat sport combining boxing and wrestling. According to UFC president Dana White, MMA is the oldest sport in civilisation: “Long before a guy threw a ball over a wall or hit it through a circle, there were two men on this earth... one of them threw a punch at the other, and whoever was standing around ran over to watch. That is how it began, before any other sport.”
“i'm scared, man,” laughs Frank mir, the Former heaVyweight champion oF the world. “any Fighter who tells you he’s not scared is bullshitting”
UFC kingmaker Dana White oversees the weigh-in of Dan Hardy (left) and Duane Ludwig
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48 | June 15 2012 |
Inside the UFC
Left: Velasquez goes to work on ‘Bigfoot’ Silva.
Above: ‘Stitch’ Duran applies the pressure
posted five defeats in a row, almost unheard
of in a sport where it's usually three and out.
But Hardy has survived because he goes
to war and puts on a show. "Dan Hardy's
4-and-0 but he's still here, still fighting," said
White. "So clearly, we like him. Can he survive
if he goes 5-and-0? That, I don't know."
Again, Hardy is angry on the inside but
educated and erudite. He got into MMA not
because he wanted to prove his manhood,
but because, at the age of six, he "saw the
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and wanted to
be one", then grew to appreciate the focus
and discipline it gave him. He reads and
understands far more Friedrich Nietzsche
than Joey Barton ever will, and he plans to
return to university to study literature or
philosophy once his UFC days are done –
which could be tonight if heavy-hitter Duane
'Bang' Ludwig has his way. "I'm feeling no
pressure about this," smiles Hardy. "I feel
serene because I've accepted what's coming."
What's coming, in some form or other, is
pain. In the UFC, anything that might be broken
has been broken a hundred times and more.
Body parts snap, pop, rip and rupture,
concussion is only ever a single punch away.
And then there's the blood. "Yeah, the
fighters tend to bleed a lot more in UFC
than boxing," says Jacob 'Stitch' Duran,
the legendary cuts man for the Klitschko
brothers who is now on the UFC payroll.
"See that little section of your forehead
above your nose," he says. "That can cut real
easy. And because of the elbows and knees
and the fact it's bone on bone, the cuts go
deeper, so you get more blood..."
At that prospect, Hardy simply shrugs.
"You just concentrate on hurting the other
guy more than he hurts you. Pain and blood
are just inevitable parts of the process."
Down anD out anD overWhen fight night finally arrives, it takes until
the penultimate fight of the night for Stitch's
prophecy to come true: American-Mexican
heavyweight Cain Velasquez opens the even
heavierweight Antonio 'Bigfoot' Silva up with
an elbow to the head, and within seconds
both men are basting in the Brazilian's blood.
By this point, as the men with cloths wipe
down the Octagon, Dan Hardy is backstage,
beaming. He knocked Ludwig out in the first
round to extend his UFC career by who
knows how many more fights. When we
reach him for a reaction, we must be his
100th post-fight interview, yet he remains
as professionally patient as ever. Proving
Mir's point, he admits the pre-fight bravado
was mixed with bullshit. "Of course I was
nervous," he admits. "But you have to project
confidence and I always knew if I landed that
left hook cleanly... it can knock anyone out.”
Elsewhere, the night's most unlikely
winner is revealing the secret of his
success. Roy Nelson (right) looks like a
hillbilly Santa Claus, a World of Sport
throwback with a large, unruly beard, a
gargantuan gut and hair he likes to wear
in a plait. His fight lasts 51 seconds, until
a furious right hand knocks Dave 'Pee-Wee'
Herman into next week. When asked
afterwards how he summons up such
ferocious power, 'Big Country' Nelson
makes the motions of a man repeatedly
lifting fork to mouth. "A lot of eating," he
grins. "You don’t want to miss your mouth."
By now, the main event is under way and,
in a few minutes' time, it will end as this
piece began, with Junior dos Santos rapping
Frank Mir on the head with his closed fist to
end UFC 146 – a denouement as surprising to
him as for the 15,000 people in the MGM
Grand. Most depart happy – the fans have
had their blood and brutality, the fighters all
lived to fight another day, and even Sport
magazine found it wasn't once outraged by
the sight of very willing and able fighters
beating each other up for money.
But the happiest man of them all will no
doubt be Dana White. With UFC 146 beaming
live into 150 different countries on pay-per-
view, you don't need to know the exact
figures to do the maths. UFC 147 is
scheduled for Brazil
at the end of June,
148 returns to Las
Vegas on July 7,
and the sport drops
in on Nottingham at
the end of September.
From there, the rapid
expansion across the
globe will continue,
gathering pace as it gobbles
up new territories.
As you read this, the UFC
president may well be sat in
his luxurious office counting
another long trail of noughts,
looking at his map of the world
and wondering if he should add
a 'HOLY' to the 'F, U, C and K'.
tHe BooK oF ruLeSOnce a free-for-all for
all sizes, the UFC is now
split into eight weight
divisions, from flyweight
up to heavyweight,
running at three
five-minute rounds
for non-championship
bouts and five by five for
championship – with a
minute’s rest between
rounds. Fighting styles
mix between jiu-jitsu,
Brazilian jiu-jitsu, boxing,
taekwondo, judo, karate,
kung fu, kickboxing and
freestyle and
Greco-Roman wrestling.
The end can arrive in
various ways: either by
submission by physical
or verbal tap out, by
knockout or technical
knockout, by decision
via scorecards or by
disqualification or forfeit.
Fighters’ gloves weigh
at least four ounces
and no more than six –
compared with eight
to 10 ounces in boxing.
“See tHat Section aBove your noSe,” SayS cutSman JacoB ‘StitcH’ Duran. “tHat cutS reaL eaSy. anD BecauSe it’S eLBowS anD KneeS anD Bone on Bone, tHe cutS go Deep anD you wiLL get BLooD”
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It wouldn’t be Royal Ascotwithout the Racing Post
| June 15 2012 | 51
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From wonderhorse Frankel to the Australian supermare Black Caviar, this year’s Royal Ascot promises a feast of equine brilliance – but behind the animals lies a fiercely competitive battle to be crowned the meeting’s top jockey. Sport takes a look at six of the main contenders
Top of the jocks
Ryan MooreAge 28Royal Ascot winners 13Odds 3/1Big chance Carlton House (Prince of Wales’s Stakes, Thursday)
The three-time champion jockey has been top man
at Royal Ascot in the past two years, and currently
leads the jockeys’ championship for 2012. His main
employer, Sir Michael Stoute, remains in puzzlingly
quiet form, but Moore is likely to pick up a strong
book of rides for other trainers and may well ride
a winner for the Queen when he legs up on Carlton
House for Thursday’s Prince of Wales’s Stakes.
However well his week goes, though (and it will most
probably go very well) don’t expect to see this
ultra-shy horseman smiling too much.
Joseph O’BrienAge 19Royal Ascot winners 0Odds 2/1Big chance Power (St James’s Palace Stakes, Tuesday)
The fresh-faced teenage son of all-conquering Irish
trainer Aidan O’Brien is by no means the finished
article, but he has delivered some stunningly cool
rides in big races already this season – his Derby day
double aboard St Nicholas Abbey and Camelot was
something else, for example, even given the evident
superiority of both horses within conveniently
small fields. Will have the pick of his father’s horses
in many races next week, but lack of experience
(young Joseph is yet to ride a Royal Ascot winner)
could yet count against him.
Johnny MurtaghAge 42Royal Ascot winners 38Odds 12/1Big chance Saddler’s Rock (Ascot Gold Cup, Thursday)
The 42-year-old Murtagh may now be classed a
veteran, but few current jockeys can boast anything
like the kind of record he has at this track. Top dog
at the meeting three times in the past decade, and
will always be remembered for his high-profile rides
aboard all-time Gold Cup legend Yeats – but many of
Murtagh’s best moments came as stable jockey to
Aidan O’Brien. Since giving up that position 18
months ago, he no longer brings a deep book of
rides to the meeting – as such, he may struggle
to challenge this time round. >
Download the Racing Post App
for a successful Royal Ascot
52 | June 15 2012 |
Royal Ascot is always special, but the 2012 jamboree
will be doubly so because the two best horses in the
world will be lining up in Berkshire.
Unfortunately they won’t be racing against each other – but
that won’t bother racing fans, who are likely turn up in droves
to watch Frankel open proceedings in the Queen Anne Stakes
on Tuesday. Unbeaten in 10 starts, he’ll be a short price to make
it 11, but few are seriously considering defeat.
Talking of short prices, Australians are used to seeing their
sprint queen Black Caviar go off at odds like 1/50; so they’re sure to consider likely odds of
around 1/3 as buying money when she turns up next Saturday for a bit of Pom-bashing in the
Diamond Jubilee Stakes. In their view, she only has to turn up to win. Given she’s compiled an
unbeaten run of 21 and never yet looked like being defeated, it’s hard to argue.
Neither of those two are going to win you much money, though, and for bets at a working
man’s price you’re better off turning to the big handicaps. James Fanshawe has always been the
man to follow in big races on the straight course, and he has the first two in the betting for the
Royal Hunt Cup (Wednesday) in Primaeval and Dimension.
The former has been raised by the handicapper for an easy win at Goodwood, so looks to
be up against it, but Dimension, who should have won at Lingfield on his prep, is a major player.
He won easily at Ascot late last season and has reportedly improved dramatically since being
gelded over the winter.
In next Saturday’s Wokingham it might be worth taking a chance on outsider Medicean Man,
who has stacks of winning Ascot form and has tumbled down to a winning handicap mark.
This track brings out the best in him and if his trainer can return him to form he’ll go close.
The Ascot Gold Cup is the highlight of Ladies Day (Thursday) and has been farmed in recent
seasons by Aidan O’Brien, for whom Fame And Glory will be bidding for a double after coasting
to victory 12 months ago . But he faces a serious challenge in Colour Vision, a horse who
hammered Melbourne Cup second Red Cadeaux at Kempton on his seasonal reappearance.
The runner-up won a Group 2 next time, before finishing second in the Coronation Cup at
Epsom – so the form is rock solid, and Colour Vision looks the value bet at around 7/1.
Royal Ascot
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Richard HughesAge 39Royal Ascot winners 26Odds 3/1Big chance Sir Prancealot (Coventry Stakes, Tuesday or Norfolk Stakes, Thursday)
One of the tallest but most stylish pilots in the
weighing room, Hughes owes his prominence in the
betting for top jockey to his position as stable jockey
to veteran trainer Richard Hannon. He can no longer
rely upon the great Canford Cliffs – three times a
winner at Royal Ascot from as many runs – to get
him off the mark, but his boss always rocks up to
the royal meeting with a whole bunch of talented
juveniles and Hughes will be on most of them.
Traditionally stronger at Glorious Goodwood, mind.
William BuickAge 23Royal Ascot winners 3Odds 12/1Big chance Nathaniel, above (Hardwicke Stakes, next Saturday)
He may still have to carry his passport around with
him to get into pubs, but don’t be fooled by Buick’s
youthful visage – this lad is one of the strongest
jockeys in the country and is in stunning form at the
moment. As stable jockey to the powerful string
of multi-Classic winner John Gosden, the 23-year-old
Norwegian-born rider should definitely add to his
three winners at the royal meeting next week –
but can he add sufficiently to them to challenge for
top honours? Only time will tell.
Frankie DettoriAge 41Royal Ascot winners 45Odds 16/1Big chance Opinion Poll (Ascot Gold Cup, Thursday)
The undoubted king of Ascot and still the most
famous jockey in the world, Dettori has ridden more
winners at the royal meeting than any other man still
in the saddle. Much was made of his absence from
both the Oaks and the Derby at Epsom earlier this
month, but he has responded with some fine rides
in the royal blue of his employers Godolphin and
should never be discounted at his favourite track.
May not end up top jockey, but will always be the
undoubted fans’ favourite.
Expert view
with Paul Kealy of the Racing Post
Tuesday > Royal Ascot |
BBC & At The Races 2pm
Your bets mate for Royal Ascot.Bet anywhere with our smashing app.
Cards. Form. Analysis. Tips.
It makes choosing a horse
and betting on it a doddle.
Your bets mate
18+ Please gamble responsibly. www.gambleaware.co.uk Prices correct as of June 7, 2011
Advertising feature
54 | June 15 2012 |
T he great thing about major-tournament football is that, regardless of a team’s first
result, there is still all to play for in game
two of the group stages. So, when England
run out to play Sweden in Kiev tonight, they
do so knowing that glory is still within their grasp.
That doesn’t just refer to Roy Hodgson and his
team, though, because one of the enduring truths
about football in this proud old nation of ours is that
it means just as much to the people as it does to the
men who step out on to the pitch with the Three Lions
on their chest.
“There is a bond between football and fans in this
country,” says Steve Claridge, who has travelled to
Poland and Ukraine this summer to provide expert
(and often entertaining) analysis for Vauxhall Football
TV. “Football provides us all with another identity, and
you know what? I am proud to be English. We live in a
fair-minded and decent country; but, from a sporting
perspective, I don’t think we should underestimate
what people around the world think of us as a
footballing nation.”
on the groundIt’s now over a week since Claridge and his
Vauxhall Football TV co-presenter Andy Friedlander
arrived in Poland, since when they have been
broadcasting daily updates – featuring all the latest
news and views from behind the scenes of the big
tournament. You can still catch his analysis of
England’s opening display against France online at
www.vauxhallfootball.co.uk/england2012 – but the
former striker is keen to point out that Vauxhall
Football TV isn’t just about the action.
“I’m hoping it’s going to come back as though
we’re having lots of fun out there,” he told us before
departing. “There will be analysis of the games, of
course, but we also want to give the fans some idea
of what it’s like out there – and, importantly, a truly
balanced idea. This is not your average package
holiday, and we want to reflect that; so we’ll be giving
an idea of the feeling around the tournament, what
SupporTing a naTion
From the england manager to all the fans back home, Vauxhall, the england team Sponsor, are helping to create a nation united behind its team this summer – isn’t it about time you got involved?
| 55
For all the latest news and insight from Vauxhall Football TV, head to...
www.vauxhallfootball.co.uk/england2012
the vauxhall england 2012 experience
1 Head online now, to www.vauxhallfootball.co.uk/england2012, and you can keep up with all the latest news, views and insights following England in
Poland/Ukraine. This features regular news updates from talkSPORT, whose official coverage of every game is being sponsored by Vauxhall.
2 For anyone wanting genuine insight from Poland and Ukraine, tune in to regular broadcasts from Vauxhall Football TV. Expert pundit Steve Claridge
– not a man short on opinion – joins presenter Andy Friedlander as they go behind the scenes. And that’s not all ‑ keep an eye out for appearances from Roy Hodgson, Wayne Rooney, Scott Parker and Steven Gerrard.
3 Don’t forget to catch up with all the latest from the talkSPORT Drive team’s video diary. Goughy, Durham and the boys have now made it to Poland – via
a number of stop‑offs and a beer or two – but you can still see all the trials and tribulations they had getting there. And don’t worry: neither of them drove.
our reception has been like and what we make of
the countries themselves.
“Major tournaments now aren’t just about the
football. It’s about getting involved, interacting with
other fans from different countries and just getting
on with people.”
A PlACE FOR THE FAnSFor the England fans out in Ukraine, there will be
few better places at which to do just that than the
Vauxhall England Fan Hubs. Vauxhall are setting one
up on the day before and day of each group game
England are playing in either Donetsk or Kiev – it’s
a great opportunity for the fans to come together
before each game, just as those of us back in Blighty
will be doing as we prepare for each big game.
“I’m not saying we should win this cup, but we
should certainly be competitive – and be a team that
others respect,” says Claridge when asked about
England’s chances. Whatever happens, one thing is
for certain – the nation will continue to get behind
them until the very last.
‘There is a bond between football and fans in this country,’ says Claridge
1
2 3
56 | June 15 2012 |
Euan Burton
You’ve likened your sport to chess before
– what are the similarities?
“It’s an aggressive game of physical chess.
What they mean is that what the other
person does directly affects what you have
to do. When you have two hands on someone,
you’re having to make very quick decisions
– as much as it’s a hugely physical sport, it
can also be very tactical, and in chess you
have to be very reactive to your opponent.”
So is there that chess-like element of
planning moves in advance?
“There’s certainly some of that, particularly
for me in the ne-waza, the groundwork part
of the game. In groundwork, you can be
fairly sure if you do one move one way how
the person might react. So, like in chess,
you can almost do one thing to make your
partner react another way and then you go
back to the original thing you were doing –
and then you’ve arm-locked them.”
Do you train for that side of things the way
you train your body for the physical aspects?
“Yeah, as well as being physically aware
and physically developed, there’s also being
tactically aware and developed. Part of that
is knowing what makes other athletes tick.
There are a huge amount of intricate tactical
tools at your disposal, but just like you have
to fine-tune your body, you have to fine-tune
your ability to make good tactical decisions.”
So there’s physical
conditioning, plus a
tactical side – sounds
like you’d be the perfect chess boxer?
“Well, I do love boxing – but I’ve never boxed.
I’ve a few friends who are pretty successful
boxers and I do find the characters – and
the kind of purity of the sport of boxing –
very intriguing. I used to play a bit of chess
with my dad and my brother when I was a
kid, but I don’t think I was particularly great.
So it’s probably not the best career move...”
A sad loss to a noble sport. Have you ever
had to use your judo skills in real life?
“I probably used a little of my strength
developed through judo because, for a
couple of years when I was much younger,
I worked as a bouncer – which I hated. It
was a means to an end, it gave me enough
money to train and that kind of thing. But
no, I’ve never really had to use my judo skills
in the real world. Perhaps when I’m fighting
for the TV controller with my girlfriend – but
she’s a judo player too, so it’s a tough fight!”
Who are your sporting heroes?
“When I was younger, in judo, it was Neil
Adams. He’s a huge inspiration to a lot of
judo players of my generation. I played a bit
of basketball, not to any level, but I enjoyed
watching people like Michael Jordan –
people who have massive ability, but also
you can tell have put in
the hard work as well. As
far as Olympic sport goes, you
can’t look past a fellow Scot like Chris
Hoy – what he’s doing at 36 is phenomenal.”
Can you emulate him and win Olympic gold?
“I know I can. But I don’t know I will. That’s
sport for you – there are no guarantees.
But I know I have the capability of winning
the tournament and that’s what I’m going
there to do. But there are a huge amount of
variables in judo, and it’s not one of those
sports where someone wins every single
tournament back to back. But I’m going
there with the intent to win.”
Who are you going to need to take down
if you want to do that?
“I wish I could say there was only one or two.
Unfortunately, in the middleweight men’s
judo, there are quite a few. Travis Stevens
of America is very strong; Elnur Mammadli,
the Azerbaijani, is very strong; and Leandro
Guilheiro the Brazilian is ranked number one
in the world. There’s a wide, strong playing
field out there... I just hope I can find the
belief to plough through it.”
Amit Katwala @amitkatwala
Follow Euan Burton and the Sky Sports
Scholars on Sky Sports News and at
skysports.com/scholarships
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Middleweight judoka Euan Burton is Team GB’s best hope of a medal on the mats in London. We chat to the 33-year-old Scot currently ranked 13th in the world
Tactica
takedo wn
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Focus 2012 42 Days to go
58 | June 15 2012 |
THE VENUEAnother sport that’s set to wow the crowds
inside London’s vast ExCel Centre. Nothing
more to see here.
THE EVENT A grand total of 15 medal events (eight
men’s and seven women’s weight
categories) should be enough to keep
weightlifting fans satisfied at the Olympics.
Each event requires athletes to complete
two types of lift: the snatch and the clean
and jerk, with lifters allowed three attempts
at each on a four-by-four-metre platform,
raised 10cm off the floor. The athlete who
lifts the highest combined total walks away
with the top prize.
The snatch involves lifting the barbell
from the floor to above the head with arms
locked, in one smooth movement. It requires
excellent balance, core stability, flexibility
in the shoulders and explosive power in the
legs to generate enough upward momentum
to snatch a hefty weight overhead.
There are two phases to the clean and jerk.
First, the barbell is lifted explosively from
the floor on to the front of the shoulders.
The second phase requires lifters to propel
the barbell upwards with arms locked and the
body aligned.
The competition starts with each athlete
naming the weight they will lift to begin,
with the lowest taking their turn first and
therefore the favourites often being the last
to enter the competition. As soon as the bar
is raised above an athlete’s knee, the lift is
counted as one attempt and is judged by
three referees who penalise athletes for
illegal or incorrect technique. They’re also
the ones who decide when to press the
buzzer that tells the athlete their lift has
been successful, and that they can put the
bloody thing down now.
In the event of a draw, it’s the lifter with
the lowest bodyweight who is declared
the winner.
TEAM GB’S PROGRESS “We had many athletes who put their names
in the frame for Olympic selection, with
some very good performances during the
Olympic qualifying period,” says Fiona Lothian,
British Weight Lifting performance manager.
“We had only five spots available to us, so
there were going to be some disappointed
athletes out there. But we’re confident
that the athletes we have picked will make
the most of the chance to compete at an
Olympic Games.”
WEIGHTLIFTING AT LONDON 2012
DATEs July 28-August 7
CApACITy 6-10,000
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Weightlifting
Zoe Smith
GB hopeful
When British Weight Lifting temporarily
removed her funding in December 2010,
claiming she was ‘overweight’, Zoe Smith hit
the gym hard and proved them wrong...
The Greenwich-born athlete was rocked by
the governing body’s decision, but has put all
that behind her in her attempt to qualify for
the Olympics. At the World Championships
last November, she returned from six months
out with a back injury to record two personal
bests, smashing the Olympic ‘B’ standard.
In April this year she went one better at the
European Championships, achieving the ‘A’
standard but narrowly missing out on a
podium place. At the British Senior
Championships in May, Smith all but secured
her Olympic place with a second ‘A’ standard
performance, leaving her looking forward to
big things this summer. “Now I’m looking at it
realistically, I could have a shot at medals,”
she said. “It’s a bit crazy really.”
From the slow walk to the bar to the chalking of palms and beast-like noises before a lift, weightlifting is sheer drama
AGE IN 2012 18
MEDAL RECORD
Commonwealth Games
bronze (2010)
7 DaysJUNE 15-JUNE 21
HIGHLIGHTS
» Rugby Union: South Africa v England » p62
» Cricket: England v West Indies ODI » p64
» Rugby League: England v The Exiles » p65
» Rowing: Samsung World Cup III » p66
» Best of the Rest » p66OUR PICK OF THE ACTION FROM THE SPORTING WEEK AHEAD
60 | June 15 2012 |
SATURDAY MOTORSPORT | 24 HOURS OF LE MANS | BRITISH EUROSPORT 1 2PM (AND BRITISH EUROSPORT 2 FROM 7PM)
Night rider
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“It’s usually a 6.30am wake-up on race day. The 9am warm-up is the final run the drivers
have before the start to get the feeling of
the track on that day. There’s a small period
when we can have some lunch, and then
various official things like the historic run
from one side of the circuit to the car. Okay,
we don’t jump in the car and drive off like
they used to in the 1960s, but they still do
that aspect of it.
An hour before the race, you do a warm-up
lap and position the car on the grid. From a
driver’s point of view, you make sure you’ve
got enough fluid on board, and you have your
last banana or bit of yoghurt. Then maybe
10 or 15 minutes before 3pm, you start with
the pace car laps; at that point you’re basically
preparing for the start, making sure the
brakes and tyres are up to temperature.
At 3pm on the dot [2pm UK time] the race
starts. The length of that first stint depends
on strategy, but it’s normally up to about
three and a half hours. If you’re slow at the
start, you won’t win. The races are not
necessarily won in the first hour, but they
can be lost.
When you get out of the car, you have a
debrief with the engineer for a few minutes,
then off to get changed and shower – and go
to see the physio for some massage if you’ve
got any aches or pains. You have to be ready
roughly an hour before you get back into the
car again, so by the time you’ve done all these
things there’s not really much time to relax.
You’re always depleting your energy – it’s
a constant reduction of the fuel tank all the
way through to the end.
If you’re in the car at around 10pm, then
you get the sun coming down, and at a couple
of points on the circuit it’s right in your eyes,
and blinds you for a second or two. You’re
doing 185mph at the time, so you have to
account for that. The harder thing is, for
example, if you start the race in bright
sunshine at 3pm. You get out at 6.30pm, and
then when you get back in it’s maybe 1am – so
you’ve gone from complete daylight to dark.
If you’re winning, it’s complete and utter
relief when you see the chequered flag coming
down. You know it’s the last lap – it’s 3pm on
Sunday and it is probably one of the best
feelings you can have as a racing driver,
because you’ve done it – you’ve conquered
one of the biggest races in the world.”
Two-time winner Allan McNish talks us through a drivers’ day at the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans, which takes place this weekend
62 | June 15 2012 |
7 Days
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Saturday Rugby union | South AfRicA v EnglAnd | cocA-colA PARk, JohAnnESbuRg | Sky SPoRtS 2 4Pm
Former South Africa captain John Smit said last week that England
will have no better chance of
beating the Springboks than in the
first Test in Durban, thanks to the
Boks’ relative lack of preparation,
recent Super XV exploits and the
comfortable sea level conditions.
Well, one 22-17 defeat later,
and England are definitely facing
an uphill battle – in every sense of
the word – to turn this Test series
around, because round two takes
place 1,753m above sea level in
the intimidating Coca-Cola Park
in Johannesburg.
It’s not all bad news, though.
England were far from outplayed
last week, and for the most part
dealt well with the power of the
Springboks – Willem Alberts
and Francois
Steyn caused
headaches – and
their kick-and-
chase game.
The forwards
competed at
every breakdown
and kept the
tackles and
turnover balls coming, with Tom
Johnson, Mouritz Botha and Chris
Robshaw (who alone contributed
21 tackles and four turnovers)
particularly impressive.
The problem is that England’s
back line needs to use the ball
better. The kick-chase needs to
improve markedly, because South
Africa’s back three had way too
much time to counter-attack and
return kicks (with interest), while
the likely selection of Jonathan
Joseph (at the time of writing)
could add a spark of creativity.
The youngster opened the Boks
up in his brief cameo last week,
and tore the Barbarians apart on
home soil a few weeks before. If
England are to pluck a win out of
thin air, JJ is the man for the job.
THE ENGLAND TEAM SPONSOR
WARRANTY 100,000 MILE
WE’RE NOT JUST SUPPORTING A TEAM.
WE’RE SUPPORTING A NATION.
Vauxhall Lifetime Warranty covers lifetime ownership of fi rst car owner, 100,000 mile limit, annual check required. The warranty excludes wear & tear and serviceable items and the vehicle must be serviced in accordance with the manufacturer’s servicing schedule to continue the lifetime warranty. Terms and conditions apply. Offer available to all Vauxhall passenger cars (this offer does not apply to car derived vans). For more information contact your local Vauxhall Retailer or visit www.vauxhall.co.uk/warranty
vauxhallfootball.co.uk/England2012
The only way is up
DEXTER® © 2012 Showtime Networks Inc. All rights reserved. SHOWTIME and related
marks are registered trademarks of Showtime Networks Inc., a CBS Company. © 2012 CBS
Studios Inc. CBS and related marks are trademarks of CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights
Reserved. TM, ® & © by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.
CatChDexter’s most
Killerseason
7 Days
The West Indies top order has been dismally weak throughout the recent Test series against England, so for the three one-day
internationals they have beefed up their
squad by adding the biggest muscles in
cricket. Former captain Chris Gayle, who
hasn’t played for the Windies for 14 months
after falling out with the cricket board, has
built a few bridges and arrives fresh for
action after a destructive display in the
Indian Premier League.
Gayle was the IPL 2012’s highest run
scorer (733) and greediest six-launcher
(59), all at an average above 60 and with a
strike rate of more than 160. Even more
impressively, Gayle actually reined himself
in early on in games, displaying a new-found
patience for the opening over (at least).
If he can maintain such control for
the West Indies – and bearing in mind
all-rounders Dwayne Bravo and Kieron
Pollard arrive with him – it will mean
England face a stern test in the upcoming
limited-overs matches.
The hosts’ task isn’t helped, of course, by
the fact that their own box-office batsman
has retired from all but Test cricket.
Captain Alastair Cook will be scratching his
bonce and wondering exactly how you fill a
Kevin Pietersen-shaped hole in your batting
line-up. Whoever now opens alongside
Cook, hopes may fall on the sublimely
talented Eoin Morgan rediscovering his
batting mojo for England. There will be a
number of batsmen under the microscope,
as the search to find a settled line-up is on
before Australia arrive later this month.
Weather permitting, the Hampshire public
can dispense with umbrellas and look
forward to a competitive match. Though if
Gayle is back in the starting XI, they may be
advised to bring their hard hats along.
SATURDAY CrICKET | EnGLAnD v WEsT InDIEs: 1sT ODI | AGEAs BOWL, HAMPsHIrE | sKy sPOrTs 1 10.30AM
Gayle breezes in
128 Chris Gayle’s highest score in the
2012 IPL, coming from just 62 balls
64 | June 15 2012 |
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MISSED ANYTHING? CATCH UP WITH SEASONS
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OUT MONDAY ON BLU-RAY & DVD
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DEXTER
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SEASON 6
PREPAREFOR
JUDGEMENT DAY
| 65
SATURDAY RUGBY LEAGUE | EnGLAnd v ThE ExiLEs | LAnGTREE PARK, sT hELEns |
sKY sPoRTs 2 6.45Pm
It’s ‘mate v mate’ as rugby league’s 2012 International Origin Series gets under way on Saturday, with England taking on the
Exiles at Langtree Park, St Helens.
The concept of the national team pitting
themselves against the best Australian,
New Zealand and South Sea Island players in
the Stobart Super League was born last year
with a one-off game. The Exiles won that one
16-12, thanks to a last-gasp try from Wigan’s
George Carmon.
This year, with no autumn Tri-Nations
series, it was decided to have two Origin
games to help prepare England for the
2013 World Cup. They promise to be feisty
affairs, with many club mates ranged
against each other.
New Zealand World Cup winner Lance
Hohaia will find himself taking on St Helens
teammate James Roby, while Huddersfield
Giants hooker David Faiumu (above) is no
doubt relishing the chance to go head to head
with fellow Giants Danny Brough, Eorl
Crabtree and Leroy Cudjoe.
“I love the concept of testing England with
an Exiles squad,” said Faiumu. “It’s a great
event for English fans to witness and can
only benefit the sport over here.
“I had the best time in camp with the squad
last year, and I am really happy to make the
22-man squad again this year. It would be
fantastic to pull on that Exiles shirt again.”
Many overseas players give up their chance
for international honours when they move to
Super League, and Faiumu is in no doubt how
important being selected for the Exiles is.
“For me, it is a great chance to get back into
the limelight, and and it will be a proud moment
to represent the Exiles,” he added. “I am also
representing my family back home, and it’s
a great chance for them to see me playing
representative rugby league again.”
The second International Origin match
will take place at the Galpharm Stadium in
Huddersfield on Wednesday July 4.
Tickets for both matches can be purchased
through the RFL Ticket office on 0844 856
1113 or by visiting rugbyleaguetickets.co.uk
England cast mates aside
FRIDAY
TENNIS
AEGON Classic Quarter Finals,
Edgbaston Priory Club,
Birmingham, British Eurosport 12.10pm
CRICKET Friends Life T20:
Warwickshire v Worcestershire,
Edgbaston, Sky Sports 2 5pm
GOLF US Open Day 2, Olympic Club,
San Francisco, Sky Sports 1 5pm
BASEBALL MLB: Chicago Cubs v Boston,
Wrigley Field, ESPN America 7pm
RUGBY UNION Fiji v Scotland,
Churchill Park, Lautoka, ESPN 3am
SATURDAY
RUGBY UNION New Zealand v Ireland,
Rugby Park, Sky Sports 2 8.35am
RUGBY UNION Australia v Wales,
Etihad Stadium, Melbourne,
Sky Sports 2 11.05am
TENNIS AEGON Championships Semi Finals,
Queen’s Club, British Eurosport 2 1pm
FOOTBALL MLS: Houston Dynamo v FC Dallas,
BBVA Compass Stadium, ESPN 10pm
SUNDAY
TENNIS AEGON Championships Final,
Queen’s Club, British Eurosport 2 2.15pm
CRICKET Friends Life T20:
Somerset v Northamptonshire,
County Ground,
Sky Sports 1 2.30pm
GOLF US Open Day 4,
Olympic Club, San Francisco,
Sky Sports 1 8pm
FOOTBALL MLS: Chicago Fire v NY Red Bulls,
Toyota Park, Bridgeview, Illinois, ESPN 10pm
MONDAY
BASEBALL MLB: NY Yankees v Atlanta,
Yankee Stadium,
ESPN 12am
WEDNESDAY
BOXING Prizefighter: Heavyweights,
York Hall, London, Sky Sports 1 9pm
THURSDAY
CRICKET Friends Life T20: Middlesex v Essex,
Lord's, Sky Sports 1 6pm
GOLF Travelers Championship Day One,
TPC River Highlands, Connecticut,
Sky Sports 1 8pm
The season’s third and final Rowing World Cup takes
place in Munich this weekend, with GB’s rowers
looking for strong displays before they head into
the first of their two pre-Games training camps.
For Olympic lightweight double scull champions
Mark Hunter and Zac Purchase (below), Munich is
a chance to show their sixth place in Lucerne last
time out was no cause for concern, while the
men’s eight will look to build on their silver medal
from last month’s regatta.
The men’s four of Alex Gregory, Peter
Reed, Tom James and Andrew
Triggs-Hodge have taken gold at
both the World Cups so far
this season, setting
a world record in
Lucerne. But the
Australians are
never far off, and it
took a surge over
the last 150m
from the Brits to
ensure first place
in Switzerland.
Time to do it all
again in Munich.
66 | June 15 2012 |
7 Days
SUNDAY ROWING | SAMSUNG WORLD ROWING CUP III | MUNICH | BBC TWO 11AM
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BEST OF THE REST
Lake wars
If we asked you for a list of things
regularly associated with Sweden, it
would usually produce quite a positive
list. After all, Sweden has given the world
meatballs, Vikings, enjoyably cheesy pop
music, one likeable England manager and
several alluring Bond girls. What’s not to
love about our European cousins?
Well, for England football fans, there’s the
minor irritant that the Swedish football team
were once upon a time so tricky to defeat.
England have regularly met tonight’s
opponents in friendlies, qualifiers and major
international tournaments – and, while the
majority of games ended evenly in draws
between the two sides (and the rivalry is a
very friendly one), the Swedes, for a while,
just proved themselves a difficult team to
actually record a win against.
Change of fortune
That all changed in 2011 however, as the
Three Lions plucked that Swedish thorn
from their paw. England deservedly bested
Sweden 1-0 in November, in a one-sided
match to end their Scandinavian frustration
for good. This is excellent news. It means
that the England team can go into tonight’s
match filled with optimism – plus we can all
now sit in our affordable wooden furniture,
eating our meatballs, without any irritating
thoughts cropping up.
On top of this, the national team also
have a winning record against their final
group opponents. England have three
victories and one loss against the Ukraine in
the four matches that have taken place
between the two sides since 2000.
We’re not saying that progress from the
group is therefore plain sailing, but it should
fill the minds of all England supporters with
positive thoughts ahead of these two crucial
games over the next five days.
Smooth operator
However, while your state of mind should
now be calmed where football is concerned,
you need to take measures to prepare your
skin. Stress, shaving and the fluctuating
British weather that we laughably refer to as
‘summer’ can play havoc with sensitive skin,
causing dryness and irritation. Thankfully,
NIVEA FOR MEN – the UK’s no.1 for male
facial skincare* – have the perfect solution
for your daily routine.
Start by cleansing with the non-drying
Sensitive Face Wash, then feel your razor
glide over your face, protected by the
Sensitive Shaving Gel. Follow this with
the Sensitive Post Shave Balm that soothes
and provides lasting moisturisation for
your face.
There’s something for every step of your
preparation in the NIVEA FOR MEN range – so
now that your skin is sorted, you can focus
entirely on supporting the England team this
week. We can hardly wait.
Advertising feature
www.NIVEAFORMEN.co.uk
Keep calm and support the teamHow England have silenced a long-standing irritation
*S
ou
rce
IRI D
at,
22
nd
Ma
y 2
01
2
Extra time Gadgets
68 | June 15 2012 |
Making the most of your time and money
LG 55EM960V 55” OLED TVLike your cassette Walkman, your
VCR and your Palm Pilot, your
flatscreen TV is now painfully out of
date. Sorry about that. Don’t fret,
though – the future looks pretty
damn good. The latest in image
projection is OLED, which stands for
organic light-emitting diode. It’s tech
that’s been used in phones and
tablets for a while, but this is the
first TV to make the leap. It means
an incredibly vivid picture and
super-sharp contrast, as well as a
ludicrously thin screen – just 4mm.
It’s so petite, in fact, that there’s no
room for any of the usual inputs and
stuff to go on the back, so they sit in a
separate box under the screen itself.
LG predict that, in a few years,
everyone will have one of these – but
there’s a hefty price tag if you want
to stay ahead of the curve. If you still
think we’re yanking your chain about
a 4mm screen (we would never do
such a thing), you can see the set for
yourself at John Lewis or Harrods
from July, when they will also be
available to pre-order for delivery in
time for Christmas. Only Fools and
Horses has never looked so good.
£8,000 | lg.com/uk
The future
of televisionMeet OLED TV, the greatest thing
to hit your living room since those
sofas with ejectable footrests
Making the most of your time and money
It’s pencil-thin: a mind-boggling 4mm (to scale)
P72
Man-eating shark or Roy
Scheider’s tan – we’re
not sure which is scarier
70 | June 15 2012 |
Smoke
Geenade
Yes
, thi
s is
Gee
na M
ullin
s. A
nd y
es, y
ou
have
see
n he
r on
thes
e pa
ges
befo
re.
Bu
t n
ow
sh
e’s
up
gra
de
d h
er
sp
urio
us
sp
orti
ng
co
nn
ec
tio
n, a
nd
we
th
ou
gh
t
he
r w
orth
y o
f a
re
pe
at
ap
pe
ara
nc
e.
Fo
r a
s w
ell
as
be
ing
th
e y
ou
ng
er
sis
ter
of
low
er-
lea
gu
e jo
urn
eym
an
de
fen
de
r J
oh
n M
ulli
ns
(Re
ad
ing
, Kid
de
rm
ins
ter,
Ma
ns
fie
ld, S
toc
kp
ort
an
d n
ow
Ro
the
rh
am
), t
he
flu
en
t-in
-Ro
ma
nia
n
gla
mo
ur
mo
de
l is
als
o t
he
gir
lfrie
nd
of
re
ce
nt
QP
R t
ria
lis
t J
ac
ob
Me
llis
. Th
at
wo
uld
be
th
e
sa
me
Ja
co
b M
elli
s w
ho
wa
s u
nti
l re
ce
ntl
y
on
Ch
els
ea’s
bo
oks
, bu
t p
arte
d c
om
pa
ny w
ith
the
Blu
es
‘b
y m
utu
al c
on
se
nt’
aft
er
se
ttin
g
off
a s
mo
ke
gre
na
de
an
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au
sin
g a
fu
ll-s
ca
le
eva
cu
ati
on
at
the
ir C
ob
ha
m t
ra
inin
g b
as
e
ba
ck in
Ma
rc
h.
Ca
n y
ou
bla
me
him
? W
e’d
pro
ba
bly
be
se
ttin
g
off
nu
cle
ar
re
ac
tors in
ou
r d
ow
n t
ime
if w
e w
ere
wa
lkin
g a
ro
un
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ith
Ge
en
a h
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on
ou
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rm
.
Piotr Stryjewski/Lipstick SyndicationExtra time Geena Mullins
| 71
Jaws
Steven Spielberg’s defining film (a massive call, as
he also gave us Jurassic Park II and Hook) returns,
pristinely cleaned up, so that we can all enjoy a
perfect suspense thriller on the big screen. Jaws,
like Alien four years later, is superbly subtle with
its scares, keeping the big beast largely off
screen but terrifying with a sudden shot of a fin,
blood in the water, a look of horror on a swimmer’s
face or that iconic musical score. In cinemas from
today – with a Blu-ray release due in September.
Gravity Rush (PS Vita)Study the image above for more
than three seconds and you will
quickly grasp the USP of the
PS Vita’s latest oeuvre. It’s an
open-world adventure in which
a girl called Kat and a cat called
Dusty embark on a voyage to
uncover her past to protect her
future, while the world around
crumbles to the ground. Cleverly,
they have the power to alter and
reorient gravity, so walls become
floors and floors walls as they
float above the rooftops while
protecting their people from the
gravity storm and evading the evil
Nevi monsters. Yup, it’s weird
alright, but exhilaratingly so.
Braquo Series 2
Billed as ‘the French
Wire’ (isn’t every series
‘the someplace Wire’,
now?) this drama is full
of enjoyably outrageous
violence and renegade
cops. Out on Monday
– and as a boxset with
the first series, if you
didn’t catch that – it’s a
filthy world well worth
your swilling around in.
Kick-Ass 2
Sequel to Mark Millar’s
acclaimed black comedy
sees hapless vigilante
Kick-Ass back in action
while profane 10-year-
old Hit Girl tries to live
in peace (if only the evil
c**ts would leave her
alone). It all ends in a
bloody superhero battle
that puts the Avengers
to shame. Out now.
We’ll Be The Moon Fixers
Getting a CD release next week after its download
debut earlier in June, this psychedelic pop album
from Oxford’s Fixers is one of the few hot things
about the British summer so far. The overlapping
melodies are – quite openly –
a bit Brian Wilson, but at least
the band have their own catchy
tunes rather than pinching
them from the old Beach Boy.
Damn infectious they are, too.
The Idler Wheel... Fiona Apple
Sorry, we must have drifted off. Because a decade
ago, we could swear Miss Apple sat alongside Snorah
Jones as an easy-listening queen. Yet here she is, in
2012, producing an album of stark brilliance. Despite
the rich timbre of her voice, Apple sounds pretty
furious here, forcing lyrics such as “every single
night’s a fight with my brain” past
her teeth with effort. Ignore the
loopy title (it’s 23 words in total),
this Monday release offers
minimalist music and maximum
impact. Well worth waking up for.
Sc
ott
Win
tro
w/G
ett
y Im
ag
es
72 | June 15 2012 |
MUSIC
Take a bite
The world’s gone upside down, Fiona
Apple is back and she’s angry, but at
least the Fixers are here to help out
GAME
MUSIC
FILM DVDBOOK
Extra time Entertainment
THE ORIGINAL SUMMER BLOCKBUSTER IS BACK
Digitally Restored
12A
“A Master Class In Popcorn Cinema”Esquire
ç©1975 Universal City Studios, Inc. All Rights Reserved.ç ©2012 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
IN CINEMAS NOWAVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER ON NOW
ROBERTSHAWROY
SCHEIDERRICHARDDREYFUSS
Co-starring LORRAINE GARY MURRAY HAMILTON A ZANUCK/BROWN PRODUCTION Screenplay by PETER BENCHLEY and CARL GOTTLIEB Based on the novel by PETER BENCHLEY Music by JOHN WILLIAMS Directed by STEVEN SPIELBERG Produced by RICHARD D. ZANUCK and DAVID BROWN A UNIVERSAL PICTURE
Niven & Joshua Shave Cream KitRelive the joys of assorted
poster paints with this travel
set of four shave creams (white
tea, lavender, verbena lime and
almond) and four aftershave
creams of the same, er, flavour.
Tempting though it was to see
what paint tastes like – and, let’s
be honest, we all did it – we don’t
recommend you do the same
with these, superb though they
each smell. Each screw-fasten
pot is good for two shaves that
will leave your skin feeling soft
and smooth. They will also likely
leave you wishing you could
stick your own mush up on the
fridge next to some of your
finest work from yesteryear.
We may not know art. But we
know what we like.
nivenandjoshua.com
Kingfisher Medium Hold UVA/B Shielding Wax and Fish Freezer Frozen Firm Texturising Cream
Two more pots of nautical-
themed gold from the Fish,
er, men. Born out of the Fish
Hairshop in London’s Soho, the
Kingfisher Medium Hold UVA/B
Shielding Wax is designed to help
you mould, style, preen and
protect your hair from every
element known to man. It also
contains emollient oils to add
sheen and prevent your hair from
drying out, and lanolin, which
softens your barnet. Second,
more subtle than a wax, the Fish
Freezer Fishshape Frozen Firm
Texturising Cream not only uses
more F-words than Gordon
Ramsay, but it’s also ideal for
defining short to mid-length hair
with chunky, choppy styles.
boots.com
The Bluebeards Revenge Luxury Shaving Cream
If, after ignoring our advice (above),
you end up cracking the paints out
anyway, you might find yourself with
a blue beard. A simple solution, then
– take your own revenge with this
premium shave cream. It contains
decelerine, which helps reduce
beard growth and aids your skin’s
recovery from the razor. Be a
Desperate Dan lookalike no more.
bluebeards-revenge.co.uk
the shave cream
74 | June 15 2012 |
Pots of gold
Be they of the poster paint or pirate
variety, you could sail the seven
seas and do well to find better
the travel set
the mOIstUrIserthe haIr stUff
VitaMan Sea Salt Body Scrub
Sea salt from the Australian coast,
a blend of finely crushed nutshells
and aloe vera gel all feature in a
natural, gentle exfoliant that is ideal
for removing dead skin cells, daily
grime and dirt. It also contains lemon
myrtle oil, with anti-bacterial and
anti-fungal properties that help
cleanse and protect the skin. We’re
not sure Davy Jones would have it
in his locker, but you should probably
have a tub like this in yours.
vitamangrooming.co.uk
the bOdy scrUb
Extra time Grooming
£6.12 for 100ml
£5.99 for 100ml
£20 for eight x 8ml
£39.25 for 300g
£9.99 for 100ml
Extra time Kit
76 | June 15 2012 |
1 Converse Stuff It BackpackOne for the more casual sports enthusiasts, this will
ferry your gym gear around with the maximum of cool
and the minimum of fuss. And the best news is the
padded strap means you can ‘one strap’ like the cool
kids without causing your shoulder too much pain.
£30 | size.co.uk
2 The North Face Enduro Plus Hydration PackWith a two-litre bladder for drinking water, exterior
mesh pocket for storing extra kit and trekking pole
attachments just some of the handy features on
offer, this is the ideal piece for all you ultra-marathon
runners out there. You crazy, crazy people.
£110 | thenorthface.com/eu
3 Craghoppers Active BackpackAnother choice from the lower end of the price scale,
but Craghoppers’ offering comes with all the bells
and whistles* you’d expect. A hydration bladder,
airflow foam back, masses of storage and space for
walking poles are all crammed into this 15-litre bag.
£40 | craghoppers.com
(*doesn’t come with any bells or whistles)
4 Rohan Stravaig 28 RucksackThe ‘28’ part of this Rohan rucksack’s name cleverly
hints at its 28-litre capacity. Cleverer still is the
Stravaig bit, however, which is taken from Scottish
dialect and means ‘to wander aimlessly’. So next time
you’re doing exactly that, be sure to take this bright
number with the water-resistant cover with you.
£65 | rohan.co.uk
5 Eureka! Swish DaypackA helmet attachment, water-holding mesh pockets
and reflective webbing – and thus increased visibility
– make this the perfect pack for climbing a mountain.
To be fair, we’ve never actually climbed a mountain. But
if we were going to, we’d take this with us. So there.
£46 | eurekaeurope.com
6 Osprey Talon II 33 BackpackThis super-lightweight bag is designed to grip your
body while allowing your back to breathe, thus
avoiding those horrible sticky-back moments the
warm weather brings. A support harness and hip
belt allow for further adjustment, enabling maximum
comfort no matter how long the trek.
£85 | cotswoldoutdoor.com
Pack of all tradesWhether climbing a mountain, running
a marathon or just heading to the local
park, this lot should have you covered
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