Jack Nicklaus Quote

'Resolve never to quit,never to give up,no matter what the situation.'

Muhammad Ali Quote

'I'm not the greatest;I'm the double greatest. Not only do I knock 'em out, I pick the round.'

Alan Minter Boxing Quote

'Sure there have been injuries and deaths in boxing-but none of them serious.'

Is De Gea the right man to replace Edwin Van Der Sar?

David De Gea is set to complete his transfer from Atletico Madrid to Manchester United in a deal worth around £18million. Edwin Van Der Sar has been a superb keeper for the red devils and the jury is out as to whether De Gea is the man to fill his shoes. Liverpool stopper, Pepe Reina has voiced his admiration for the 20 year old Spanish star, saying he is up to the challenge. Sir Alex Ferguson usually gets things right but who could forget his legacy of signing calamitous keepers such as Massimo Taibi, Roy Carroll and Mark Bosnich who failed miserably in following,'The Great Dane' Peter Schmeichel.

Other more experienced options such as Schalke's Manuel Neuer would have got my support. The Schalke keeper has Champions League experience and impressed against United in the recent Champions League encounter. Reports suggested that Neuer shunned a move to the Manchester giants but a few more zeros on his annual salary would have no doubt made him think again.

I hope De Gea does well at United and goes some way to help bridge the gap between the Premier League Champions and the dominant Barcelona side.

Does Boxing need the Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquaio fight?

David Haye vs Wladimir Klitschko will arouse much interest in the boxing world but the real fight fans want to see is Manny Pacquaio vs Floyd Mayweather. The hype has been building for years now and boxing audiences are losing patience. My read of the situation is that the promotors are stalling the fight to generate anticipation and generate the biggest grossing box office payperview hit of all time. Pacquaio has cemented his place as one of the best pound for pound fighters in the game by beating big names such as Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto and Sugar Shane Mosley. Mayweather is undefeated in 40 bouts and is known for his hand speed, tactical nous and ability to close out a fight when an opportunity presents itself. We have had one false alarm with the March 13th 2010 bout being called of on account of the blood testing demands of Mayweather. Some quarters hold the belief that the undefeated champion was 'ducking' the contest in fear of losing his prized, undefeated status,others have suggested that Pacquaio's sudden dominance is inexplicable and that his blood samples require further scrutiny. Boxing fans are not concerned about the ifs,buts and maybes. Boxing fans are focused on the prospect of these two finally, throwing hands after all the publicity.

I would say we need this fight to happen. Boxing does have some exciting fighters but the weakness of its flagship heavyweight division means that fighters in other weights have to step up to the plate. The middleweight divisions are commanding respectable followings thanks to exciting stars such as Carl Froch, Sergio Martinez, Lucien Bute and Julio Cesar Chavez Junior. Despite the excitement of certain divisions there is only one that can put boxing back on the map at the summit of world sport and that is the Welterweight division. Come on Manny, come on Floyd, lets get this show on the road! If only it was that simple.

Test Cricket vs T20: Which form of the game is best?

Test Cricket has been the premier form of the game since the inception of International Cricket. The long form of the game requires stamina, skill and patience in order to overcome your adversaries. The Test form of the game has treated sporting fans to the talents of West Indian genius Gary Sober's, Australia's batting maestro, Donald Bradman and New Zealand's pace menace, Richard Hadlee just to name a few.

Despite the illustrious tradition of the five day game, a new Knight has entered the hearts of worldwide audiences. Twenty Twenty is now reinvigorating the game, with its emphasis on big hitting, bowling variety and instant gratification. The Indian Premier League has shown just how entertaining cricket can be. Big hitting stars have arisen from the short form of the game. Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Murali Vijay, Jacques Kallis and Yusuf Pathan have entertained fans around the world with their explosive batting performances. T20 is not seen as an immediate threat to the Test game as it requires very different skills and appeals to two different audiences. The longest form of the game attracts cricketing purists while the short form of the game attracts those with a shorter attention span and a penchant for immediate excitement.

Overall T20 has enriched the sport, as it has brought a new young audience to cricket and should ensure that we have even more talented cricketers than we have been treated to over the last century. The threat that IPL poses is that it pays the players huge sums of money that may encourage players to retire early from the Test form, in order to lengthen their careers in twenty over cricket. The best example of this I can see is Lasith Malinga of Sri Lanka who has somewhat prematurely retired from International Tests, in order to focus on the 50 over and 20 over formats. Malinga is a massive loss to the 5 day game with an arsenal of bowling deliveries unrivalled among world seamers today.

The Test game is responsible for players' emphasis on technique, stroke play and temperament. T20 on the other hand is more concerned with slogging, full length bowling and bravado rather than the more noble focus of the 4 innings form.

Five day cricket is still the most revered form of the game by players but how long will this continue to be the case?

Is it Time for Arsenal to cash in on Cesc Fabregas?

Cesc Fabregas is one of the best midfielders in football today. Many people believe that Fabregas has 'carried' The Gunners for many years and that they will be lost without him. Personally I think the time could be right to offload the Spanish World Cup winner. Arsenal are said to be holding out for near on £45million. Anything over £35million would give Arsene Wenger the funds he needs to buy a replacement for Fabregas, a potent forward and maybe even a defender as well.  The pressure is on to Wenger after 6 years without a trophy. The only reason Arsenal would not look to sell is if Fabregas wants to stay or whether their Manager will alter his frugal policy on buying unknown youngsters rather than established, experienced stars. In reality the truth is that Fabregas has wanted out for well over a year and will not feel 100% committed to the Arsenal cause if he is made to stay another year.