In an unexpected twist following his recent retirement, former Manchester United defender and Premier League winner Danny Simpson is trying his hands in the ring after agreeing to take part in his first-ever boxing match.
The ex-Man United, QPR, Newcastle United and Leicester City full-back only called time on his playing career after the best part of two decades this July, writing in a statement that he knew it was time to “hang up [his] boots and concentrate on other projects”.
As it turns out, the first of these new projects will be his boxing debut as part of the Misfits exhibition franchise, which has seen a number of celebrities, influencers and ex-athletes take part since the promotion was founded back in 2022.
Set to take place at the 3 Arena in Dublin on 31 August, the upcoming event will mark the official two-year anniversary of Misfits Boxing and its first visit to Ireland.
‘Deen The Great’ will be putting his MFB Lightweight Championship on the line against hometown favourite Dave Fogarty, Sami Hamed will be taking on Jesse Clarke and Danny Simpson’s aforementioned fight against 22-year-old YouTuber Danny Aarons will be making up the latest fight card.
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Elsewhere, there are bouts between HS TikkyTokky vs George Fensom and Ben Williams vs Warren Spencer booked, not to mention two cruiserweight quarter-final contests on the night, with both Jake Cornish and Mike Edwards, as well as DTG and Minikon set to lock horns.
X Series 17, which will be broadcast live on DAZN, was also set to see founder KSI take on an ambitious 2v1 match against Slim and Anthony Taylor but he ultimately had to pull out due to injury.
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Instead, KSI, who essentially started the whole modern advent of ‘YouTuber boxing’, will be performing as part of a special live concert on the night.
KSI tops HUGE night in Dublin Aug 31 🇮🇪
HS TikkyTokky takes on George Fensom, Danny Aarons takes on EPL winner Danny Simpson and KSI performs an exclusive music set when Misfits Boxing comes to Ireland ☘️@PrimeHydrate | @KickStreamingpic.twitter.com/CcjLbIKLfz
As for Simpson, his reaction to the announcement was short but sweet, writing on social media: “So it’s official. I’ll be making my boxing debut on the 31st of August in Dublin on the Misfits Boxing card.
“Excited for fight night. Let’s have some fun.”
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Gaining some serious traction in the space of just two short years, even the likes of Wayne Rooney have been offered to take part in the growing fight series, so we expect the 37-year-old won’t be the last retired footballer to get involved with Misfits.
Premier League Darts is returning to Manchester’s AO Arena in 2027
Lydia Mastrolonardo
Premier League Darts is confirmed to be returning to Manchester next year.
Now’s your chance to see the youngest world champion in darts history, AKA Warrington’s very-own Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler, show us how it’s done, as next year’s BetMGM Premier League Darts lineup has just been announced this week – with various dates confirmed across 17 different cities in the UK and Europe.
And Manchester is one of those cities, as the AO Arena has shared that they are set to host an evening next April, and we couldn’t be more excited about it.
This means that we will be lucky enough to witness the biggest names in world darts all under one roof, including headliners Gian van Veen and Luke Humphries, as well as Littler.
Manchester is the only northern city to get the pleasure of hosting the event next year, as Liverpool is also on the lineup, as is Leeds, Sheffield, and Newcastle, while elsewhere in the UK, the stars will travel to Glasgow, Birmingham, London, and several other major locations.
BetMGM Premier League Darts is to be held on Thursday 8 April at the AO Arena in Manchester, and to avoid being disappointed, fans are advised to register for presale ticket access.
Following a successful season of events in 2026, tickets are expected to be like gold-dust, so don’t say you haven’t been warned.
To access the first wave of tickets, fans must become an active PDCTV Annual Member before 23:59pm on Friday 9 October. Alternatively, general sale is on Thursday 22 October 2026, but make sure not to hang about.
Featured Image – Sandro Halank (via Wikimedia Commons)
Sport
Andy Burnham wants to scrap the ‘unfair’ ban on drinking alcohol in football stands
Emily Sergeant
Andy Burnham has claimed he wants to scrap the ‘unfair’ ban on fans getting to drink alcohol in football stands.
It’s a ban that’s been in place in the top five tiers of men’s football since 1985, when fears over violence and hooliganism were at their height, but now the Prime Minister has raised the question of whether drinking in football stands – or ‘drinking in sight / view of the pitch’, as it’s known formally – is actually unjust, due to the fact that same rules don’t apply to fans of other sports.
“I don’t think it’s fair for football fans to be singled out in that way,” Andy Burnham has declared this week, grabbing headlines in the process.
He continued: “I think that legislation dates to an era where football was very different, and I do believe there is a case to remove that discrimination.
“I’m not going to back away from what’s been a long-held view of mine. I don’t see how it can be fair that some supporters of one sport can be treated differently.”
The Prime Minister’s comments have been met with mixed response.
Andy Burnham wants to scrap the ‘unfair’ ban on drinking alcohol in football stands / Credit: James Kirkup | Julia Nastogadka (via Unsplash)
The Football Supporters’ Association (FSA), for example, has very much welcomed the idea, saying that it ‘totally agrees’ the legislation is ‘outdated’ and ‘deserves to be reviewed’.
Tom Greatrex, chair of the FSA, said in a statement: “The FSA has always argued that it’s unfair to criminalise football fans for having a pint while watching the match – especially since you can sit in the same seat drinking alcohol whilst watching an Oasis gig or rugby league.”
However, on the flip side, the UK Football Policing Unit said it would be ‘incredibly rash’ to change the rules without proper consultation.
“Other sports simply don’t see the violence and criminal behaviour from their supporters that football does, albeit a minority, with alcohol often playing a significant part in violent and disorderly behaviour,” it said in a statement on the matter.
The Prime Minister did state in his initial proposition though that ‘there are different ways it could be done’, hinting that it could be done ‘on a trial basis’ perhaps.
The English Football League (EFL) added that it would be ‘receptive to discussions around reviewing current legislation and permitting alcoholic drinks within view of the pitch’.
No formal details on a review have been confirmed as of yet, so fans are encouraged to stay tuned for updates in due course.
Danny Jones -
7th August 2024 
