ITV RacingCrouch needed a British winner in the fifth race on Thursday[/caption]
Blackmore rode the Irish-trained Bob Olinger to victory in the Stayer’s HurdleREX
The best finish for a British-trained horse came in seventh with Lucky Place ridden by Nico de Boinville (https://talksport.com/who/nico-de-boinville/) and trained by Nicky Henderson (https://talksport.com/who/nicky-henderson/).
As a result of losing the bet, Crouch had to pay for 1,000 pints in the Guinness Village at the Cheltenham Festival (https://talksport.com/topic/cheltenham-festival/).
With a single pint costing £7.80 (https://talksport.com/sport/3003212/cheltenham-racegoers-pints-of-guinness-online-trend-alan-brazil/) at the Festival, his total outlay came to an eye-watering £7,800.
Meanwhile, Bob Olinger’s win helped to extend Ireland’s lead over Great Britain the Prestbury Cup (https://talksport.com/sport/2981615/prestbury-cup-cheltenham-festival-2025-ireland-united-kingdom) to 13-8 at the end of day three.
The 44-year-old had also revealed it was far from his first time attending the event.
He explained: “This is kind of like a footballer thing, a tradition. I played under Harry Redknapp countless times, obviously he introduced me to it and I’ve been coming back ever since.”
The best finish for a British-trained horse came in seventh with Lucky Place ridden by Nico de Boinville (https://talksport.com/who/nico-de-boinville/) and trained by Nicky Henderson (https://talksport.com/who/nicky-henderson/).
As a result of losing the bet, Crouch had to pay for 1,000 pints in the Guinness Village at the Cheltenham Festival (https://talksport.com/topic/cheltenham-festival/).
With a single pint costing £7.80 (https://talksport.com/sport/3003212/cheltenham-racegoers-pints-of-guinness-online-trend-alan-brazil/) at the Festival, his total outlay came to an eye-watering £7,800.
Meanwhile, Bob Olinger’s win helped to extend Ireland’s lead over Great Britain the Prestbury Cup (https://talksport.com/sport/2981615/prestbury-cup-cheltenham-festival-2025-ireland-united-kingdom) to 13-8 at the end of day three.
The 44-year-old had also revealed it was far from his first time attending the event.
He explained: “This is kind of like a footballer thing, a tradition. I played under Harry Redknapp countless times, obviously he introduced me to it and I’ve been coming back ever since.”
A pint of Guinness at the Cheltenham Festival costs £7.80REX
Asked if he used to attend during his playing days, Crouch added: “Yeah, we came. There was a couple of incidents, I remember Harry Redknapp saying to Jonathan Woodgate we couldn’t come.
“And then he found out Jonathan had organised a helicopter. So very quickly that changed and Harry was sitting in the front (https://talksport.com/sport/racing/1783631/harry-redknapp-cheltenham-festival-tottenham-jamie-ohara/).
“We had some great days and I’ll always remember coming here and it always being a really great day. I’ve always tried to come back since I’ve retired.”
After scoring 106 goals in 468 Premier League appearances, Crouch retired aged 39 in the summer of 2019.
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Asked if he used to attend during his playing days, Crouch added: “Yeah, we came. There was a couple of incidents, I remember Harry Redknapp saying to Jonathan Woodgate we couldn’t come.
“And then he found out Jonathan had organised a helicopter. So very quickly that changed and Harry was sitting in the front (https://talksport.com/sport/racing/1783631/harry-redknapp-cheltenham-festival-tottenham-jamie-ohara/).
“We had some great days and I’ll always remember coming here and it always being a really great day. I’ve always tried to come back since I’ve retired.”
After scoring 106 goals in 468 Premier League appearances, Crouch retired aged 39 in the summer of 2019.
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I’ve fought Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao but the most skillful boxer I faced was ‘Sweet Pea’
https://talksport.com/boxing/3016775/oscar-de-la-hoya-floyd-mayweather-manny-pacquiao/
Oscar De La Hoya has shared the ring with elite technical fighters, but there was one that stood out from the crowd.
‘Golden Boy’ was a truly world class operator, who incredibly won 11 world title belts in six weight classes during his stellar time perfecting the sweet science.
https://talksport.com/boxing/3016775/oscar-de-la-hoya-floyd-mayweather-manny-pacquiao/
Oscar De La Hoya has shared the ring with elite technical fighters, but there was one that stood out from the crowd.
‘Golden Boy’ was a truly world class operator, who incredibly won 11 world title belts in six weight classes during his stellar time perfecting the sweet science.
GettyDe La Hoya shared the ring with Mayweather and Pacquiao[/caption]
On his resume, De La Hoya has the likes of boxing legends Floyd Mayweather (https://talksport.com/topic/floyd-mayweather/) and Manny Pacquiao (https://talksport.com/who/manny-pacquiao/) whom he was beaten by at the back end of his time as a professional.
He first fought Mayweather in his third to last career battle in 2007, and was unfortunate to have lost by split decision (https://talksport.com/boxing/1454656/oscar-de-la-hoya-floyd-mayweather-money-fight/) on the judges scorecards.
In the final bow of his career the following year, he fared much differently in his clash with Pacquiao, succumbing to a defeat (https://talksport.com/boxing/2421369/manny-pacquiao-oscar-de-la-hoya-fight-floyd-mayweather/) after retiring in the eighth round.
But De La Hoya has incredibly claimed that it was Pernell Whitaker, who he fought and beat in 1997, was the highest skilled of his 45 professional opponents.
De La Hoya said: “Whitaker had to be one of the most skilful fighters in any generation – the fact he could stay right in front of you and could still slip the punches.
“Whitaker wasn’t a runner; he was just someone who stood right in front of you and knew how to slip.
“Whitaker knew how to knock you out, too. Punching power, skill, I.Q, Whitaker had it all. He’s probably one of the all-around best boxers I faced.”
Whitaker showed a raft of incredible defensive skills that night, frustrating De La Hoya offensively despite succumbing to a unanimous decision defeat.
The American had fantastic boxing intelligence and lightning reflexes, which helped guide him to a record of 40 wins and four defeats.
Whitaker sadly passed away in 2019, but left a huge legacy for himself in the boxing world.
On his resume, De La Hoya has the likes of boxing legends Floyd Mayweather (https://talksport.com/topic/floyd-mayweather/) and Manny Pacquiao (https://talksport.com/who/manny-pacquiao/) whom he was beaten by at the back end of his time as a professional.
He first fought Mayweather in his third to last career battle in 2007, and was unfortunate to have lost by split decision (https://talksport.com/boxing/1454656/oscar-de-la-hoya-floyd-mayweather-money-fight/) on the judges scorecards.
In the final bow of his career the following year, he fared much differently in his clash with Pacquiao, succumbing to a defeat (https://talksport.com/boxing/2421369/manny-pacquiao-oscar-de-la-hoya-fight-floyd-mayweather/) after retiring in the eighth round.
But De La Hoya has incredibly claimed that it was Pernell Whitaker, who he fought and beat in 1997, was the highest skilled of his 45 professional opponents.
De La Hoya said: “Whitaker had to be one of the most skilful fighters in any generation – the fact he could stay right in front of you and could still slip the punches.
“Whitaker wasn’t a runner; he was just someone who stood right in front of you and knew how to slip.
“Whitaker knew how to knock you out, too. Punching power, skill, I.Q, Whitaker had it all. He’s probably one of the all-around best boxers I faced.”
Whitaker showed a raft of incredible defensive skills that night, frustrating De La Hoya offensively despite succumbing to a unanimous decision defeat.
The American had fantastic boxing intelligence and lightning reflexes, which helped guide him to a record of 40 wins and four defeats.
Whitaker sadly passed away in 2019, but left a huge legacy for himself in the boxing world.
GettyDe La Hoya insists Whitaker was the most skilful he faced in the ring[/caption]
De La Hoya too has a legendary legacy and headlined some iconic nights in the US.
He has continued to be an influential figure in the world of boxing since his retirement.
De La Hoya formed Golden Boy Promotions, which has seen him nurture some of the sport’s biggest current stars including Canelo Alvarez (https://talksport.com/who/canelo-alvarez/) and Ryan Garcia (https://talksport.com/who/ryan-garcia/).
Mayweather and Pacquiao too went on to become two of the greatest to have ever laced up the gloves.
They finally met themselves in a long-awaited clash in 2015, which became the highest-selling pay-per-view event in boxing history.
Mayweather won and he has forever been linked with rematches against both fighters, even after retiring himself in 2017.
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De La Hoya pursued the sequel against ‘Money’ aggressively, but later admitted he simply couldn’t have won it.
“Well, this is something that the world doesn’t know and I’m gonna actually say it now,” he said.
” We had a rematch for a year, contractually. Guess what Floyd did? He retired for a year and one day. The contract expired.
“No, no [couldn’t have won]. My body was breaking down. My body was over it, that was the last straw.
“Whittaker felt it in the seventh and eighth round because my jab is my weapon, I throw my jab and nobody can beat me and I just couldn’t throw it so it was over, my body was breaking down.
“I fought [Manny] Pacquiao and I was a dead man walking.”
Follow talkBOXING on social media
De La Hoya too has a legendary legacy and headlined some iconic nights in the US.
He has continued to be an influential figure in the world of boxing since his retirement.
De La Hoya formed Golden Boy Promotions, which has seen him nurture some of the sport’s biggest current stars including Canelo Alvarez (https://talksport.com/who/canelo-alvarez/) and Ryan Garcia (https://talksport.com/who/ryan-garcia/).
Mayweather and Pacquiao too went on to become two of the greatest to have ever laced up the gloves.
They finally met themselves in a long-awaited clash in 2015, which became the highest-selling pay-per-view event in boxing history.
Mayweather won and he has forever been linked with rematches against both fighters, even after retiring himself in 2017.
<!-- Start of Brightcove Player -->
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De La Hoya pursued the sequel against ‘Money’ aggressively, but later admitted he simply couldn’t have won it.
“Well, this is something that the world doesn’t know and I’m gonna actually say it now,” he said.
” We had a rematch for a year, contractually. Guess what Floyd did? He retired for a year and one day. The contract expired.
“No, no [couldn’t have won]. My body was breaking down. My body was over it, that was the last straw.
“Whittaker felt it in the seventh and eighth round because my jab is my weapon, I throw my jab and nobody can beat me and I just couldn’t throw it so it was over, my body was breaking down.
“I fought [Manny] Pacquiao and I was a dead man walking.”
Follow talkBOXING on social media
talkBOXING is now on Twitter and Facebook.
Follow us on social media for big breaking boxing news, exclusive interviews and the best bits from our talkBOXING YouTube show.
Like our Facebook page HERE (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61571539689230)
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Follow us on social media for big breaking boxing news, exclusive interviews and the best bits from our talkBOXING YouTube show.
Like our Facebook page HERE (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61571539689230)
Follow us on Twitter HERE (https://x.com/boxing_ts)
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‘Weird to say’ – Josh Allen explains $350million decision behind not wanting to eclipse Dak Prescott’s NFL record
https://talksport.com/nfl/3017247/josh-allen-dak-prescott-buffalo-bills-350-million-extension/
It’s raining Benjamin Franklins in Buffalo, New York.
That’s because Bills star and league-MVP Josh Allen (https://talksport.com/who/josh-allen/) was extended to a massive six-year, $330million contract extension.
https://talksport.com/nfl/3017247/josh-allen-dak-prescott-buffalo-bills-350-million-extension/
It’s raining Benjamin Franklins in Buffalo, New York.
That’s because Bills star and league-MVP Josh Allen (https://talksport.com/who/josh-allen/) was extended to a massive six-year, $330million contract extension.
Allen was crowned regular season MVPGetty
And an NFL-record, $250m in guaranteed money.
Mind blowing numbers for a player that has been more than worthy.
Funnily enough, Allen still isn’t the highest paid player in the league in terms of average annual value.
That honor belongs to Dallas Cowboy Dak Prescott (https://talksport.com/who/dak-prescott/).
Allen will now make $55m per year, which is tied for second with Cincinnati Bengals (https://talksport.com/topic/cincinnati-bengals/) quarterback Joe Burrow (https://talksport.com/who/joe-burrow/).
Prescott remains the highest-paid player in the league at $60m per year.
If Allen had wanted to, there’s zero doubt the Bills would have made him the highest-paid player in league history.
When asked about it at his press conference after the extension was announced, Allen had a refreshing answer.
“It didn’t seem like from my perspective I was taking a whole lot less,” Allen said.
“But the way I make sense of it, when you start getting these fairly big numbers throughout the entire league …
And an NFL-record, $250m in guaranteed money.
Mind blowing numbers for a player that has been more than worthy.
Funnily enough, Allen still isn’t the highest paid player in the league in terms of average annual value.
That honor belongs to Dallas Cowboy Dak Prescott (https://talksport.com/who/dak-prescott/).
Allen will now make $55m per year, which is tied for second with Cincinnati Bengals (https://talksport.com/topic/cincinnati-bengals/) quarterback Joe Burrow (https://talksport.com/who/joe-burrow/).
Prescott remains the highest-paid player in the league at $60m per year.
If Allen had wanted to, there’s zero doubt the Bills would have made him the highest-paid player in league history.
When asked about it at his press conference after the extension was announced, Allen had a refreshing answer.
“It didn’t seem like from my perspective I was taking a whole lot less,” Allen said.
“But the way I make sense of it, when you start getting these fairly big numbers throughout the entire league …
Allen went on the record to state he didn’t want to take as much money as he could have, so he can have a better team around himGetty
“It’s weird to say this … but what is five [million dollars] more going to do for my life that I can’t already do right now?
“It’s not that crazy to me. I live a pretty good life. Got a house, got a car. We’re good.”
In his young seven-year career, Allen has already amassed $174.5m.
And there are hundreds of more millions on the way.
So yeah, what’s an extra $5m to Allen?
A literal drop in a bucket.
Allen went into more detail as to why he wasn’t exactly pushing for more.
“I wasn’t looking to absolutely kill them at every chance I could, and I told my agent that,” Allen said.
“I was like, ‘If it has any impact on the cap, let’s figure out a way to not do that.’
“Both sides were willing to move and change different things, and it was a pretty calm-mannered negotiation is what I can say from both sides.”
He wants Buffalo to have the flexibility to put together a talented team around him.
A strategy that Tom Brady (https://talksport.com/topic/tom-brady/) did for years in New England.
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And that worked out pretty well for the seven-time Super Bowl (https://talksport.com/topic/super-bowl/) winning QB.
Allen is still looking for his first.
He’s been handsomely paid beyond his dreams, the only thing that is missing, is the Lombardi Trophy.
And he only wants to win one in one place.
Buffalo, New York.
“I don’t want to play anywhere else,” Allen said. “Buffalo is home to me and it always will be.”
Stay up to date with the latest from across the NFL via our talkSPORT Facebook page, and subscribe to our Endzone YouTube channel for news, view and exclusive interviews as we build up to the NFL Draft in April
“It’s weird to say this … but what is five [million dollars] more going to do for my life that I can’t already do right now?
“It’s not that crazy to me. I live a pretty good life. Got a house, got a car. We’re good.”
In his young seven-year career, Allen has already amassed $174.5m.
And there are hundreds of more millions on the way.
So yeah, what’s an extra $5m to Allen?
A literal drop in a bucket.
Allen went into more detail as to why he wasn’t exactly pushing for more.
“I wasn’t looking to absolutely kill them at every chance I could, and I told my agent that,” Allen said.
“I was like, ‘If it has any impact on the cap, let’s figure out a way to not do that.’
“Both sides were willing to move and change different things, and it was a pretty calm-mannered negotiation is what I can say from both sides.”
He wants Buffalo to have the flexibility to put together a talented team around him.
A strategy that Tom Brady (https://talksport.com/topic/tom-brady/) did for years in New England.
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And that worked out pretty well for the seven-time Super Bowl (https://talksport.com/topic/super-bowl/) winning QB.
Allen is still looking for his first.
He’s been handsomely paid beyond his dreams, the only thing that is missing, is the Lombardi Trophy.
And he only wants to win one in one place.
Buffalo, New York.
“I don’t want to play anywhere else,” Allen said. “Buffalo is home to me and it always will be.”
Stay up to date with the latest from across the NFL via our talkSPORT Facebook page, and subscribe to our Endzone YouTube channel for news, view and exclusive interviews as we build up to the NFL Draft in April