2019/20 NPFL Match Day 21 results, scorers

*Rivers United 2 Kano Pillars 1
Konan N’Gouan-Rivers (22nd min)
Cletus Emotan-Rivers (88th min)
Rabiu Ali-Pillars (90+3 min)

*Dakkada Intl. 0 Kwara United 0

*Jigawa Stars 2 Wikki Tourists 1
Promise Damala-Wikki (2nd min)
Ibrahim Saleh-Jigawa (54th min)
Abdullahi Lala-Jigawa (67th min)

*MFM FC, Lagis 0 Heartland 0

*Nasarawa United 2 Enyimba 0
Chinedu Ohanachom (33rd min)
Dauda Maigishiri (87th min)

*Lobi Stars 0 Plateau United 0

*Akwa United 1 Warri Wolves 1
Wisdom Jumbo-Wolves (76th min)
Ndifreke Effiong-Akwa (90th min)

*Sunshine Stars 0 Enugu Rangers 0

*Katsina United 1 Abia Warriors 0
Joseph Atule (6th min)

*Adamawa United 2 FC IfeanyiUbah 1
Jibrin Abubakar-Adamawa (22nd min)
Ikenna Cooper-If.Ubah (67th min)
Idris Abubakar-Adamawa (69th min)

2019/20 NPFL Match Day 21 fixtures

Sunday, February 23, 2020

Lobi Stars vs Plateau United
Jigawa Stars vs Wikki Tourists
Rivers United vs Kano Pillars
Dakkada Int.  vs Kwara United
Adamawa United vs FC IfeanyiUbah
MFM FC, Lagos vs Heartland
Akwa United vs Warri Wolves
Sunshine Stars vs Enugu Rangers
Nasarawa United vs Enyimba
Katsina United vs Abia Warriors

WBC heavyweight rematch: Wilder can't beat me on points-----Fury

Tyson Fury says a points defeat against Deontay Wilder is impossible as his style of boxing suits Las Vegas.

Fury, 31, drew with Wilder in Los Angeles in 2018 and he hopes to avoid controversy by securing a knockout in their rematch on Saturday.

But he said similarities in his style with Floyd Mayweather - who landed 15 wins by decision in Vegas - is reason for his confidence in the judging.

"That slick style works and the judges here like that," Fury told BBC Sport.

"Wilder can't beat me on points, it's not possible. This is Las Vegas, not Los Angeles.

"One of the greatest boxers that has ever lived in Mayweather has come from this town and they can appreciate a master boxer here.

"If it goes 12 rounds I have won.

Fury conducted media commitments at the offices of his US promoters Top Rank on Monday, a short drive from the Las Vegas strip where his bout with WBC world heavyweight champion Wilder can be seen advertised on billboards and blackjack tables.

He spoke glowingly of his first camp under trainer SugarHill Steward after his split from Ben Davison and will also fight for the first time since appointing Conor McGregor's nutritionist George Lockhart as his personal chef.

Those closest to the British heavyweight believe his dietary changes have offered notable results. The team have also appointed legendary cuts man Jacob 'Stitch' Duran to ensure the damage caused by a cut that required 47 stitches in Fury's last fight does not pose an issue.

Fury continues to predict a second-round stoppage of Wilder and trainer Steward told BBC Sport he was brought into the team because he is a "knockout architect".

"To knock out a knockout artist you have to make them go backwards and back them up," Fury said.

"Wilder is used to coming forwards his whole career. He has never knocked anyone out on the back foot.

"All bullies when they are backed-up, fold. Wilder is no different to any other playground bully. When someone stands up to Deontay Wilder, he will fold. I will prove that on Saturday.

"Technically he is not so great. Fighting Deontay Wilder is like giving a seven-year-old an AK-47 in a room, fully loaded. He is easy to control but could let rip any time.

"He can throw punches from novice angles that usually a world champion or high-level professional wouldn't throw. They come from the floor sometimes or around corners so you have to have your wits about you."

Fury is expected to weigh in about 10lbs heavier than when he out-pointed Sweden's Otto Wallin in September and again believes extra bulk will help him stop Wilder.

On Monday, Wilder's trainer Jay Deas told BBC Radio 5 Live it was "advantageous" his fighter last competed as recently as November, when he knocked out Luis Ortiz.

But Fury is adamant the 34-year-old Alabama fighter's five-year "reign as world champion is over" and any win would see him reclaim world-champion status for the first time since he gave up his titles when he battled personal issues in the wake of beating Wladimir Klitschko in 2015.

A trilogy bout with Wilder could form part of his next move and while there are also calls for him to face IBF, WBA and WBO champion Anthony Joshua, Fury is only certain of how long he has left in the sport.

"I am in the latter end of my career," he added. "Three more fights, whether it takes a year or 18 months. The Gypsy King will be no more within two years that's for sure."

Fury's rematch with Wilder was carefully plotted, with promoters Top Rank overseeing him build his profile with wins in the US over Tom Schwarz and Wallin in 2019.

Top Rank boss Bob Arum, 88, believes the contest will now sell in excess of two million purchases on pay-per-view.

Sat with BBC Sport in his Las Vegas office, Arum said: "You may not know what has happened in the USA. We have two major networks pushing the fight, Fox and ESPN. Both of them have given us resources that we could have never dreamed about.

"Fox broadcast the Super Bowl. A 30-second commercial on the Super Bowl costs $5.6m [£4.3m]. Fox gave us two slots. When you put a spot like that on in the Super Bowl, you reach over 130 million people in the United States.

"Last weekend you could not put a sports network on and not see adverts for this bout. Nothing like that has ever happened in this country since I have been in this business in 1966."

2019/20 NPFL Match Day 20 results, scorers

*Enugu Rangers 1 Akwa United 2
Ndifreke Effiong-Akwa Utd (13th min)
Kenechukwu Agu-Rangers (55th min)
Akarandut Orok-Akwa Utd (70th min)

*FC IfeanyiUbah 3 Sunshine Stars 1
Uche Ihuarulam-Sunshine (22nd min)
Samuel Kalu-FC IfeanyiUbah (29th min)
Abdullahi Aliyu (42nd min)
Chigozie Chilekwu (77th min)

*Heartland 5 Adamawa United 0
Eric Dufegha (5th min)
Abiodun Thompson (30th min)
Chukwuemeka Obioma (11, 52, 90 mins)

*Kano Pillars 1 MFM FC, Lagos 0
Usman Babalolo (23rd min)

*Kwara United 1 Rivers United 1
Dede Moughara-Kwara (17th min)
Micheal Enaruma-Rivers (41st min)

*Plateau Utd 2 Dakkada Int. 0
Tosin Omoyele(40th min)
Oche Ochowechi (86th min)

*Wikki Tourists 4 Lobi Stars 0
Manu Garba (3rd, 48th min)
Idris Guda    (22nd, 66th min)

*Nasarawa United 1 Jigawa Stars 0
Ikenna Ofor (65th min)

*Warri Wolves 2 Katsina United 0
Abu Azeez (39th, 45th min)

*Abia Warriors 1 Enyimba 4
Yakub Hammed-Abia Warriors (74th min)
Stanley Dimgba-Enyimba (41, 66 mins)
Victor Mbaoma (44th min)
Anayo Iwuala (60th min)

Feb 22 WBC rematch: I need to knock out Wilder, says Fury

Tyson Fury says he will have to knock out Deontay Wilder in Las Vegas to avoid a repeat of the judging controversy of their first fight, reports www.bbc.com.
The British heavyweight, despite hitting the canvas twice, believed he had won their enthralling December 2018 World Boxing Council contest, declared a draw.
"I believe I out-boxed him," said Fury, who fights Wilder again on February 22.
"To guarantee a win, I need a knockout. I don't want another controversial decision - I want a defining win."
Fury, nicknamed the Gypsy King, was knocked down in the ninth and 12th rounds but nevertheless impressed as he went the distance in what was his first world title fight since returning to boxing the previous June, after a three-year absence.
The spectacle in Los Angeles was scored 115-111 for Wilder, 114-112 for Fury and 113-113.
The 31-year-old, speaking during a conference call, added: "I'm not a judge and these guys see what they see, but my own destiny lies with my own two fists."
Fury, who has been training in Las Vegas for the past eight weeks, believes he is in better condition than he was for their first meeting and says the public have already seen the best of his American opponent.
"I learned in that first fight that he can be hit and hurt," added the Briton who - like Wilder - has won every professional fight bar that one draw in 2018. "He's got a big right hand and that's it. He's a one-dimensional fighter.
"He had me down twice and had two minutes in each of those rounds to finish me. Like in Mortal Kombat when they say, 'Finish him'... but he couldn't finish. He landed two of the best punches any heavyweight in the world could land, but the 'Gypsy King' rose like a phoenix from the ashes.
"The biggest mistake I made was not making him pay when he was hurt. However, I didn't know what was left in my tank because I hadn't been 12 rounds for a long time. This time I'll throw everything bar the kitchen sink. He won't know what hit him."
'Pound-for-pound is like fantasy baseball, isn't it?
If Fury does dethrone Wilder to become the WBC champion, then he will have won every major heavyweight title during a career that began in 2008.
The Manchester-born boxer reiterated that he was not interested in leaving a legacy and was also unmoved by the possibility of being regarded the best current pound-for-pound fighter with victory over his opponent.
"I'm not sure how pound-for-pound works, it's like fantasy baseball isn't it? Everybody has an opinion on what's the best or whatever," he said.
"I've never been able to follow pound-for-pound. It's like if an eagle had feet, it would be able to run faster than an ostrich. Or if a cow could fly then could it fly faster than an aeroplane? It's people's opinion, randomly making up stuff.
"What I do I know is when I beat Deontay Wilder I'll be the best heavyweight of my era - standing alone."
..........
Caption:

Fury (right), forced Wilder on the defensive with a punch, during their first clash in 2018, the two gladiators are set for a rematch on February 22 in Las Vegas.
.................

2019/20 NPFL Match Day 20 fixtures

Sunday, February 16, 2020

Abia Warriors vs Enyimba
Warri Wolves vs Katsina United
Enugu Rangers vs Akwa United
FC IfeanyiUbah vs Sunshine Stars
Heartland vs Adamawa United
Kano Pillars vs MFM FC, Lagos
Kwara United vs Rivers United
Plateau United vs Dakkada Int.
Wikki Tourists vs Lobi Stars   
Nasarawa United vs Jigawa Stars

2019/20 NPFL Match Day 19 results, scorers

*Enyimba 2 Abia Warriors 1
Austin Oladapo-Enyimba (45+2 min)
Stanley Dimgba-Enyimba (76th min)
Okon Otop-Abia (58th min)

*Katsina United 2 Warri Wolves 1
Joseph Atule-Katsina (45th min)
Mohammed Gambo-Katsina (55th min)
Charles Atshimene-Wolves (71st min)

*Akwa United 0 Enugu Rangers 0

*Sunshine Stars 2 FC IfeanyiUbah 0
Jide Fatokun (24th min)
Anthony Omaka (30th min)

*Adamawa United 1 Heartland 0
Adam Yakubu (64th min)

*MFM FC, Lagos 3 Kano Pillars 1
Adewole Adeniji-MFM (52nd min)
Clement Ogwu (65th, 81st min)
Auwalu Ali-Pillars (34th min)

*Rivers United 1 Kwara United 0
Konan Ruffin N'Gouan (67th min)

*Dakkada Int. 0 Plateau United 0

*Lobi Stars  2 Wikki Tourists 1
Utibe Archibong-Lobi (10th min)
Austin Ogunye-Lobi (20th min)
Nasir Jibrin-Wikki (90+3 min)

*Jigawa Stars 1 Nasarawa United 0
Ali Kalla (45th min)

2019/20 NPFL Match Day 19 fixtures

Sunday, February, 2020

Enyimba vs Abia Warriors
Katsina United vs Warri Wolves
Akwa United vs Enugu Rangers
Sunshine Stars vs FC IfeanyiUbah
Adamawa United vs Heartland
MFM FC, Lagos vs Kano Pillars
Rivers United vs Kwara United
Dakkada Int.  vs Plateau United
Lobi Stars    vs Wikki Tourists
Jigawa Stars vs Nasarawa United

2019/20 NPFL Match Day 18 results, scorers

*Heartland 1 Sunshine Stars 0
Abiodun Thompson-3rd min

*Kano Pillars 2 Adamawa United 0
Auwalu Ali
Achibi Ewenike

*Kwara United 1 MFM FC, Lagos 0

Christopher Nwaeze-73rd min

*Plateau United 1 Rivers United 0
Ibrahim Mustapha -3rd min

*Wikki Tourists 1 Dakkada Int. 1
Daniel Jackson-Wikki (68th min)
Femi Ajayi-Dakkada (87th min)

*Nasarawa United 3 Abia Warriors 1
Emmanuel Ugwuka-Abia (3rd min)
Abdallah Mohammed-Nasarawa
Chidi Solomon               "
Haggai Katoh                "

*FC IfeanyiUbah 0 Akwa United 0

*Jigawa Stars vs Lobi Stars

*Warri Wolves vs Enyimba (pp)

*Enugu Rangers vs Katsina United (pp)

2019/20 NPFL Match Day 18 fixtures

Sunday, February 2, 2020

FC IfeanyiUbah vs Akwa United
Heartland vs Sunshine Stars
Kano Pillars vs Adamawa United
Kwara United vs MFM FC, Lagos
Plateau United vs Rivers United
Wikki Tourists vs Dakkada Int.
Jigawa Stars vs Lobi Stars
Nasarawa United vs Abia Warriors
Warri Wolves vs Enyimba (pp)
Enugu Rangers vs Katsina United (pp)

Australian Open: Djokovic wins 17th Grand Slam

Novak Djokovic at the weekend defended his Australian Open crown and won a 17th Grand Slam after digging deep into his physical and mental reserves to beat Dominic Thiem in a gripping five-set final.

The Serbian second seed won 6-4, 4-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 for a record-extending eighth title at Melbourne Park.

Djokovic, 32, twice called the doctor while trailing before fighting back.

Austrian fifth seed Thiem, 26, still awaits his first major title after losing a third Grand Slam final.

    'We had to wait in line for bread, milk, water' - difficult childhood inspires Djokovic

Djokovic, who fluctuated from steely brilliance to being emotionally erratic and back again, took the first of two championship points when Thiem pulled a forehand wide.

With Thiem getting plenty of support throughout in the Rod Laver Arena, Djokovic celebrated by putting a finger to his lip to shush some of the crowd, then breaking out in a grin before pointing to his box

Djokovic, who said he had been "on the brink of losing" when dehydration affected his energy levels, solemnly watched as he was lauded as the 'King of Melbourne' before being presented with his trophy.

He then gave an emotional winning speech where he talked about the "devastating" Australian bushfires, world conflicts and the death of American basketball great, and his "mentor", Kobe Bryant.

"I would like to say this is a reminder that we should stick together more than ever," Djokovic told the 15,000 crowd.

"Stay close to the people who love you. There are more important things in life."

His latest triumph moves him within three of Swiss Roger Federer's all-time leading tally of 20 men's singles titles, and only two behind Spain's Rafael Nadal, who is on 19.

The Serb's fightback ensured the wait continues for somebody to break the stranglehold of the old guard, with Djokovic, Nadal and Federer having won the past 13 Grand Slam titles.

No other player has won a men's major title since Switzerland's Stan Wawrinka won the US Open title in September 2016.

Djokovic will also return to the top of the world rankings, replacing Nadal, when they are published on Monday.

After an opening Grand Slam of the 2020 season which had pretty much everything, it was fitting that the tournament finished with another thrilling match.

Starting negatively amid a backdrop of devastating bushfires across Australia and players complaining about poor air quality, the mood was lifted across the fortnight by shock wins, incredible fightbacks and another star emerging in the women's game.

When 21-year-old American Sofia Kenin beat Spain's Garbine Muguruza on Saturday she became the eighth woman to win their first Grand Slam in the past 12 majors.

Thiem, having been a fixture in the top 10 for a number of years and winning 16 ATP titles, is far from being a new kid on the block.

But such has been the dominance of the 'Big Three', the Austrian remains a relative novice in the biggest finals as the younger players struggle to end their supremacy at the Slams.

Djokovic is the first man to win a Grand Slam title in three different decades since the Open era began in 1968.

Now the task of the younger generation is to stop Nadal and Federer doing the same.

Thiem has long been considered one of the younger players most likely to end the dominance of Djokovic, Federer and Nadal, although many expected that to come on his favoured clay surface at the French Open, where he has lost the past two finals to Nadal.

His game - based on crushing groundstrokes and athleticism - always had the potential to be successful on hard courts, and winning his biggest title on the surface at Indian Wells last March appeared to give him added belief.

With the men's semi-finals split across Thursday and Friday, Thiem had 24 hours less to recover than Djokovic and had spent almost six hours more on court over the fortnight.

That did not look to be a major factor, however, when Thiem moved one set away from finally getting his hands on a Grand Slam trophy at the third attempt.

Perhaps, ultimately, there was an element of fatigue - mental as well as physical - as Djokovic dug deep and Thiem hit 16 unforced errors in the fifth set.

Nevertheless, it appears only a matter of time before Thiem becomes only the second Austrian - after 1995 French Open champion Thomas Muster - to win a major singles title.

"You were very close to winning it and you definitely have a lot more time in your career. I am sure you will get a Grand Slam trophy, more than one," Djokovic told him.
A close contest - the statistics
    Thiem    Djokovic
Aces    13    9
Double faults    5    5
Win 1st serve    69%    75%
Break points won    5/12    5/12
Winners    55    46
Unforced errors    57    57
Total points won    147    157
Fastest serve (km/h)    200    200
1st serve average (km/h)    185    188

Djokovic had eased through the draw with the concession of just one set, with a dominant service game that opponents had rarely broken.

He had raced to a 3-0 lead after a high-quality start but was then unable to sustain that level, mainly down to physical issues that flared up in the second set and continued through the third.

Djokovic disappeared off court at the end of the each set, also requiring a chat with the doctor on two separate occasions.

"I was hydrated well and everything. Apparently the doctor said I wasn't hydrated enough," Djokovic said.

"After I lost the second set, I start to feel really bad on the court. My energy dropped significantly."

With the Serb constantly looking at the floor between points, walking wearily and mopping his brow, it was not a surprise that Thiem won six of seven games on the way to a two-sets-to-one lead.

Djokovic was also angered at a crucial juncture of the second set when he was docked a first serve for twice taking longer than the 25 seconds allowed to serve.

The Serb looked furious with the decision as Thiem punished the second serve to break for 5-4, sarcastically congratulating umpire Damien Dumusois and tapping his foot when he passed the chair at the changeover.

"Great job, you made yourself famous," he told the Frenchman.

List of most men's grand slam titles:
Federer 20,
Nadal 19,
Djokovic 17,
Sampras 14,
Emerson 12
Source: www.bbc.com