British boxing legend Joe Calzaghe CBE is coming to Greater Manchester for not one but two charity dinners, interviews and Q&A sessions later this year.
The former unified WBA, WBC and WBO champion retired back in 2009 as one of the UK’s greatest-ever fighters, boasting an undefeated record of 46-0 and plenty of iconic victories to his name.
It’s fair to say the London-born Welshman has a lot of stories to tell and with some of his biggest-ever bouts coming here in Manchester, including his Arena fight against David Starie and the legendary ‘Judgement Day’ win against Jeff Lacy to claim the Super Middleweight World Championship.
So, with that in mind, the 52-year-old has decided to bring two special ‘An Evening Joe Calzaghe’ events to the region where he enjoyed so much success, hosting one in Manchester and another at Edgeley Park, the home of Stockport County Football Club.
Credit: The Manc Group/Supplied/Tea Chimp (via Flickr)
Ringing the opening bell at Edgeley Park on Friday, fans of the ‘Pride of Wales’ and boxing in general will be able to get up close and personal with the sporting legend.
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Starting from humble beginnings, Calzaghe – who also became known as the ‘Italian Dragon’ due to his Italian heritage – rose through the ranks and went on to face off against some of the all-time greats in the industry such as Mikkel Kessler, Chris Eubank, Roy Jones Jr and more.
He also came out on top on every single occasion.
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Rated by fellow fighter, friend and Manc boxing legend Ricky Hatton as “the greatest British fighter we’ve ever had”, Calzaghe’s record-breaking flawless across multiple weight classes fell nothing short of a sight to behold over the 15 years he spent in the ring.
Certified as the longest-reigning super-middleweight world champion in boxing history, having held the WBO title for over ten years and defending it against a total of 20 opponents (a shared record in the division alongside Sven Ottke) he was an absolute force to be reckoned with.
And soon you’ll be able to see him in the flesh over in Trafford, just across from the Theatre of Dreams, or right in the heart of SK.
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Ding, ding! 🔔🥊
EP Events will be hosting ‘An Evening with Joe Calzaghe CBE’ on Friday September 20th.
The undefeated, world champion boxer will be taking his gloves off and laying it all out on the table with anecdotes from his undefeated 46-0 career!
The two evenings with feature a two-course dinner, live interview, Q&A session and an auction for charity, not to mention some other surprise in store at each date on his UK tour, which makes its first stop in Manchester next month.
Calzaghe will also take to the stage alongside comedian and impressionist, Al Foran, who will be bringing boatloads of belly laughs to warm guests up for a knockout evening.
Even more excitingly, VIP ticket holders will be able to meet Joe in person for a photo and signing opportunity just before dinner is served.
You can grab your tickets to see Joe Calzaghe at Edgeley Park on Friday, 20 September, or at Hotel Football on Thursday, 24 October HERE.
Manchester City release new ‘The Decade Collection’ celebrating 10 years of Pep Guardiola
Danny Jones
Manchester City and PUMA have just released a new clothing line celebrating 10 seasons of Pep Guardiolaat the club.
Simply entitled ‘The Decade Collection’, the new PUMA range revolves entirely around Pep as he marks his 10th anniversary in charge of the Blues, focusing on minimalistic style.
Guardiola has always been a trendy bloke, often being highlighted for his fashion choices on the touchline – even some of the questionable ones…
But with a much plainer approach this time around, the Pep clothing collab
Debuting the lifestyle drop on Wednesday, 15 April, Man City wrote on social media, “Ten seasons on the touchline. Ten seasons of setting the standard.
“Introducing the Puma Football Decade Collection with the Pep Team – celebrating Pep’s ten seasons as our manager and inspired by memorable moments from his tenure at the Club.”
While it’s unclear how much (if any) of these new clothes the Catalan coach has helped design or had influence on, but given its exclusive nature, you can expect it to sell out pretty quickly.
They go on to add: “Created to honour a defining chapter that reshaped the club’s modern identity, this exclusive collection is available in limited quantities.
Starting at £30 for the cheapest item – a ‘P’ logo baseball cap – the most expensive part of the collection clocks in at £110: his special anniversary edition ‘Majesty Low Decade’ PUMA trainers.
You can see some more examples of what we’ve already seen him wearing, and what we’ll no doubt see him in pitchside very soon, down below.
Obviously, City has plenty of other brand partnerships when it comes to both official sports apparel and more casual clothing, many of which we’ve already seen the 55-year-old football manager wear, but you can almost guarantee he’ll be donning them for the coming fixtures.
You can see Man City x PUMA x Pep Guardiola ‘Decade Collection’ in full HERE.
Speaking of which, up next for Pep and co is what could prove to be THE big twist in this year’s Premier League campaign, with his squad of serial winners taking on league leaders Arsenal at home.
Not only did the Gunners’ surprise loss to Bournemouth last weekend help City close the gap on the top spot, but with them refinding their form ahead of hosting the title hopefuls at the Etihad Stadium, it all looks to be shifting back in their favour at the moment.
With seven games left, and one in hand compared to Arsenal, do you see them beating Mikel Arteta’s side to another trophy?
Featured Images — Manchester City Football Club (publicity pictures)
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Sale Sharks announce signing of exciting new winger David Opoku-Fordjour
Danny Jones
Sale Sharks have revealed their latest bit of recruitment as they have announced an agreement to sign promising young winger, David Opoku-Fordjour.
The brother of existing Sharks player, Asher Opoku-Fordjour, David, is set to join Sale at the start of next Gallagher PREM season.
Sharing the news with their fans on social media, the Greater Manchester rugby union outfit is tipping the ‘exciting’ and very fast forward to achieve big things at the club.
As the older sibling of 21-year-old prop Asher (only slightly), they might be of a similar profile in some ways, but they are still two very unique talents with their own attributes.
The fellow Coventry-born prospect came through his local side’s youth academy, making over half a century of appearances for the Championship team.
He will now become the second member of the Opoku-Fordjour family, who are originally from Ghana, to play for Sale Sharks.
Already capped England star Asher is actually the youngest of the four Midlands-born brothers.
Meanwhile, David Opoku-Fordjour – still just 22 himself – will make his Premiership debut in the coming 2026/27 campaign, penning a one-year deal with an option of extending by another 12 months as part of his contract:
The youngster said in an official statement: “I know the levels at a PREM club will be much higher, but I’m really looking forward to playing and training with internationals every day.
“There are so many good wingers at the club – guys like Tom Roebuck and Arron Reed – and I just want to be a sponge and learn from them and develop as much as I can.”
“Asher and I are really close, and playing with him again will be brilliant. When I spoke to him, he just said that the environment at Sale is great and that I would really enjoy it. He said the club is full of good people, so I can’t wait to get started.”
🗣️ "Playing with my brother again will be brilliant."
Commenting on his arrival, Director of Rugby Alex Sanderson said, “There’s some real talent and potential in the Champ, and we think we’ve found one in David.
“He scores tries for fun, but there’s plenty more to his game, and we’re looking forward to seeing how he develops in this environment, learning and playing with the international wingers we’ve got.”
Looking forward to seeing him on the pitch, Sharks?
Danny Jones -
14th August 2024 
