I’ve always been a nibbler, especially of biscuits. Toffee Pops, if you’re offering. But thanks to a combination of never-ending national economic turmoil, a personal savings strategy loosely based on Arthur 2, and a fondness for placing bets after a few shandies, this weekend presents a starting point to punt my way to a better wedding.

• Monaco GP.
• Champions League Final.
• Froch v Kessler II.
• Donegal v Tyrone.
• Temple Stakes at Haydock.

I’VE GOT THE POWER: Sole Power, that is, who races in the Temple Stakes

Sport on a Saturday or Sunday doesn’t get much better than this weekend. Actually, I’m even missing the Froch fight as have been summoned to the future in-laws for a night of Excel-sheet planning and red wine. Ain’t that a punch in the head.

I’m starting with a £100 kitty and will try to turn that into at least £3,000, by the first week of November 2013. Each Friday, in gruesome detail, I’ll reveal which weekend sports events I believe are worth a punt and previous results. You can choose to follow that advice, or simply join in the laughter when I have to approach the guy who sings into a soggy chipbag outside my local to be my wedding band. Or my wife if this all goes horribly wrong.

Must avoid a Froch-ing nightmare

These bets will swerve between straight-up, sure-fire steamers and ridiculous long shots. But, hey, ask any bookie – sport is bat-shit crazy so anything can happen, and usually does.

Oh, let’s just keep this all to ourselves too, as I don’t want the fiancée to find out. Yet. Balls out on the first week.

I asked PP for a pay rise. He said no chance, and suggested the best he could do was a tip for his mum’s horse, Sole Power, who runs in the Temple Stakes at Haydock on Saturday. Cheers, Paddy. Thought hard about that one, didn’t you?

Otherwise, after seeing the shape Carl Froch was in during his Friday afternoon weigh-in, I’m all aboard that train ahead of his IBF super-middleweight title at the O2 in London on Saturday night.

May 24 wedding fund bets | week one

• Sole Power, 2/1, Temple Stakes at Haydock (5 points)
• Froch to beat Kessler outright 4/9 (5 points)

Betting scale

• 1-point bet. Finger of fudge (having a nibble)
• 2-point bet. Milky Way (snack)
• 3-point bet. Purple Snack (fancy it)
• 4-point bet. Biscuit Yorkie (All over this)
• 5-point bet. Pack of Hob-Nobs (lumping on)

Twitter: @paulmallon1

It’s hard to forgive Mayweather for not giving us the super-fight with Manny Pacquiao when we wanted it. That one is veering towards irrelevant should it ever happen. However when you watch Mayweather in this animated GIF you can at least forget it for a while.

Love him or hate him the man’s got mad skillz. The kids still say that right?

Looking to rehabilitate his record after two defeats in his previous three fights, he was hoping a comprehensive win over Mexican fighter, Julio Diaz (33) in Sheffield would get him back on the road to the major world titles. He got the job done in the end, but only after being put on the seat of his pants in the fourth round. He recovered to win a unanimous points decision, but yet again, fails to be completely convincing.

SHE’S JESS SUPERB: The world’s smuggest belly button is 9/1 for BBC Sports Personality of the year

The BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2012 will be announced this Sunday. For once, it’s more competitive than a paternity test on the Jermey Kyle Show, with a whole host of athletes who have had stellar years battling it out for the accolade.

Bradley Wiggins is the red-hot odds-on favourite after his incredible year on the bike, but with a range of successful Olympians and Paralympians, a Wimbledon finalist and the greatest Ryder Cup comeback in history, is this the toughest year to pick a winner in living memory?

Here’s our guide to the leading contenders for the award…

Bradley Wiggins – 3/10

First Brit to ever win the Tour de France and then won Gold at the Olympics in the time trial, becoming Britain’s most decorated Olympian with seven medals to his name. Somehow made sideburns fashionable. Might get a sympathy vote after some joker in a Vauxhall Astra knocked him off his bike.

Jessica Ennis – 6/1

The poster girl for London 2012 and a shoe-in for the not yet created Sports Personality and Abs of the Year. Ennis won gold in the heptathlon with a British and Commonwealth record score of 6,955 beating plenty of records on the way. She opted out of the 100 metres hurdle, but her time of 12.54 seconds would have put her right in the mix for a medal in that – which would have been quite an achievement for a non-specialist hurdler.

Mo Farah 7/1

A double Olympic champion winning the 5,000 and 10,000 metres in London. The noise in the Olympic Stadium as Farah kicked for home in the final of the 5,000m was one of the highlights of the event. On top of that, he was European Athlete of the Year for 2012, adding to the title he won in 2011. Plus, he invented the ‘Mobot’ celebration craze with some help from James Corden.

Andy Murray – 16/1

ONE GOLD IN MIND: Olympic champion Murray went on to break his Grand Slam duck (pic: Inpho)

2012 will be remembered as a year as hugely satisfying excessive fist-pumping for Murray. He won Gold for Britain in the Olympics and broke his Grand Slam duck by winning the US Open. Became the first British male to reach a Wimbledon Final since 1938 but got thumped by Rodger Federer. Broke down in tears, instantly gaining more support.

David Weir – 40/1

The Paralympic athlete won four Gold medals at the games in the 800m, 1500m, 5000m and the marathon. He won the London marathon for the sixth time and has been described as the greatest wheelchair racer of all time.

Ellie Simmonds – 55/1

The 2008 Young Sports Personality of the Year won four medals at London 2012 including two golds. The 18-year-old Paralympian broke two world records at the games on her way to outstanding success in the pool. Her tenacity and beaming smile make her hugely popular with the British sporting public.

Rory McIlroy – 80/1

Golf’s World Number One and the PGA Championship winner 2012. He won the European Tour Order of Merit, the PGA Player of the Year and the PGA Tour leading money winner. It’s been a brilliant year for McIlroy topped off with that dramatic Ryder Cup win. And things look to be going well very with Caroline Wozniacki. All in all, another great year for silly-pants wearing’s most exciting talent.

Chris Hoy – 100/1

A KNIGHT TO REMEMBER – Sir Chris carried the British flag at the opening ceremony (pic: Inpho)

Hoy’s major hurdle is that brilliance is now just expected as standard from him. But the Edinburgh native continues to deliver, winning gold in both the Team Sprint and Keirin at this year’s Olympics. Add to that bronze in the Sprint and gold in the Keirin at the World Championships and you’ve got an impressive record. The odds are against the 2008 SPOTY winner however. Only three people have one the accolade more than once (Nigel Mansell, Henry Cooper and Damon Hill) and in such a competitive year, he’ll find it hard to join them.

Katherine Grainger – 200/1

Grainger may not have to buy quite as much Brasso as some of the other contenders for this year’s award, but her story has the right mix of resilience and excellence to strike a chord with the public. After winning silver medals at the three previous Olympic games, the rower finally landed gold this time around when she partnered Anna Watkins to victory in the double sculls.

Ben Ainslie – 200/1

Ainslie became the most successful sailor in Olympic history when he claimed his fourth gold medal on the bounce this summer. We also claimed gold in the Finn class in this year’s World Championships. More important than all that bling however, he achieved something we all though was virtually impossible – he made sailing cool. The SPOTY has a habit of throwing up some surprise results and having brought the curtain down on his Olympic career, he’s an interesting outsider at a big price.

Nicola Adams – 250/1

Adams claimed a slice of history by becoming the first female boxer to win an Olympic gold medal this summer. That nugget of trivia is an achievement of scheduling rather than anything else and it’s her performances in the ExCel Arena that deserve the real attention. She dominated the flyweight division this summer (winning her fights by a combined score of 43-20), beaten her nemesis, Ren Cancan of China in the final.

Sarah Storey – 300/1

Few athletes in British sporting history have shown the versatility and dominance of Storey. She win 16 Paralmypic medals (five gold) in swimming before turning her attention to cycling in 2005 and going on to rack up the bling in that sport too. She won four golds at the London games in the Individual Pursuit C5, the Time Trial C4-5 500m, the Individual Road Time Trial C5 and the Individual Road Race C4-5 adding to the two golds she claimed in Beijing.

• BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2012 Betting

COMEBACK KING: Is Ricky Hatton past it or in his prime? Only time will tell…

By Rob Dore | Sports writer and Manc wannabe

Three and a half years on from his devastating second round knock-out loss to Manny Pacquiao, Ricky Hatton returns to the ring against the recently deposed for WBA welterweight champion Vyacheslav Senchenko. Inevitably questions have been asked regarding the reasoning behind the Hitman’s decision to make a comeback at 34 years of age. The immediate years after his last fight were filled with drugs scandals, post-glory depression and a general sense of lacking control in his life.

None of which are positive indicators of a glorious return for one of Britain’s most popular and successful fighters.

There is the argument that he needed those years of madness to purge his system. After dinner speaking, his own chatshow on Nuts TV, aspirations of being a stand-up comedian. Add in leaving his trainer Billy Graham in 2008 and hooking up with arch-rival Floyd Mayweather Jnr’s father, Floyd Mayweather Snr, although an excellent trainer, the move certainly didn’t tie-in with the self-stated image of a down to earth Manchester City fan who liked pints and pies with the lads between training camps.

With a clearer head and a healthier lifestyle outside the ring, there is the possibility that we’re yet to see the best of Ricky Hatton. Carl Froch is 35 years old and he has never been better. The gap between fights for Hatton may make being better than he was a difficult ask but at least good enough to beat the likes of Senchenko.

There is of course the possibility that he has lost the fire needed to fight. Something which he won’t find out for sure until the fight begins. So neither will we.

Ring-rust is another issue and if Senchenko is to stand a chance of adding to his impressive looking 21 knock-out victories, he’ll want to strike early. Allowing someone of Hatton’s ability and experience to settle in to a fight is dangerous, regardless of how long he has been out.

Despite a record of 32 wins in 33 fights, including three successful defenses of the WBA welterweight title, Senchenko has never been in the ring with a fighter of Hatton’s calibre. His loss the Paul Malignaggi, a fighter who Hatton dominated to an eleventh round stoppage four years ago, is an indicator of the gap.

Hatton’s ability may be undermined by some but he fought the best fighters throughout his career and lost just twice. Losing to Floyd Mayweather Jnr and Manny Pacquiao, two of the best fighters in generations, is hardly something to be embarrassed about.

What may be embarrassing is the manner of the loss to Pacquiao. Such a devastating knockout is a bitter end to a glorious career so it’s easy to understand why he has chosen to give it one last go. If Hatton, who has looked in excellent shape since announcing his return back in September, is anywhere close to his best then he will outclass a fighter whose record has more padding than a teenage girl’s bra.

Hatton is the favourite to win at 2/7 and is 5/6 to win inside the distance. He has never possessed one punch knock-out but Hatton hits hard, especially to the body. If Senchenko takes a few to the floating rib he’ll be in trouble. The Ukrainian is a solid fighter but he’s not good enough to beat the Hitman. If that’s who gets in through the ropes tonight.

• Betting: Ricky Hatton v Vyacheslav Senchenko

CAN THE COBRA STRIKE AGAIN: Where is the value in backing Carl Froch?

Carl Froch’s demolition of Lucian Brute in Nottingham last May made him one of the most talked about boxers in recent times. The super-middleweight fighter has been heralded as one of the best in the business and after seeing off the best fighters in his field he is the world champion for the thrid time.

Unsurprisingly then Froch is 1/25 to see off Philadelphian fighter Yusaf Mack on Saturday night and that is not a working man’s price. Unless you’re earning some considerable wedge then this is a no bet situation. Paddy certainly doesn’t pay us enough to start lumping on at that price.

Put it this way, you’d need to stake £20 to make enough profit to buy a Yorkie chocolate bar, £62.50 to buy a jagerbomb in Leeds and £250 to earn enough to get into Tiger Tiger on a Saturday.

But there is a few ways to have a punt on the fight at tastier odds.

• 52 per cent of Froch’s wins have come in the sixth round or earlier
• Only 28 per cent of his wins have gone to a judge’s decision
• Out of 29 wins he has knocked out his opponent 21 times
• 71 per cent of his KO wins have come in the first six rounds
• He has knocked out an opponent in round one on four occasions and round five on four occasions
• Yusaf Mack has suffered four defeats, all by KO
• All four of Mack’s knock-out loses have come between round six and eight

If you’re backing Carl Froch to continue his impressive run than this is where the value might lie. Yusaf Mack was disappointing in his last world title fight against Tavoris Cloud and is going to have to lose half a stone to make the weight for this bout.

With that, and the stats in mind, it may be worth backing Froch to win in round five at 8/1, round six at 10/1 or round seven at 9/1. This is when it looks like The Cobra could finish off the fight.

The odds of Froch to win by KO or TKO are slightly appealing at 1/5 but still too slim. Instead back the Nottingham-born fighter to win between round one and six at evens. This is a classic Shakira bet - a touch short maybe, but smoking hot.

• Betting: Carl Froch v Yusuf Mack
  

Football

John Terry will be expected to wear an anti-racism armband tonight when Chelsea take on Shakhtar Donetsk. Terry is currently serving a four-match domestic ban and paying a £220,000 fine for racially abusing QPR defender Anton Ferdinand. Paddy is expecting tonight’s game to be close with the hosts at 8/5 and Chelsea at 7/4 in the betting. Terry has a habit of performing exceptionally when surrounded by controversy so the 15/2 that he scores any time could be worth a quid.

• Betting: Shakhtar Donetsk v Chelsea

United are also in action when Sporting Braga come to Old Trafford and a win for the Reds will give them one foot in the next round. Rio Ferdinand will not get disciplined for refusing to wear a ‘Kick It Out’ shirt on Saturday. Alex Ferguson was angry that the defender hadn’t worn the shirt and threatened to ‘deal with it’, however now it seems the problem has been put to bed and Rio could be given a new contract with United. The Reds are the well-backed 4/11 favourites for the game.

• Betting: Man United v Sporting Braga

Elsewhere Celtic have the most daunting task as they head to the Nou Camp to face the four-time champions Barcelona. The Hoops are a massive 25/1 to come away from Spain with three points and even the draw is as big as 10/1.

• Betting: Barcelona v Celtic
• Padcast: A Celtic special

Boxing

Ricky Hatton has vowed that there will be no more bingeing and boozing in between fights now he is making his boxing comeback.

The ‘Hitman’ was knocked out by Manny Paquiao three years ago but is back in the ring facing Vyacheslav Senchenko in Manchester on 24th November. And Hatton has promised the lifestyle that almost called him in his prime is finished.

Hatton is 3/10 to win his comeback fight with Senchenko 13/5 to knock-out the former welterweight and light-welterweight champion.

• Boxing: Hatton v Senchenko

Racing

Racing today comes from Exeter, Lingfield, Yarmouth and Fairyhouse.

The Sun newspaper’s leading tipster Templegate is in good form and his nap of the day runs in the 4.40pm at Exeter.

‘Rocky Creek is ready to roll. This Irish point-to-point winner showed lots of promise over hurdles last season. He should be better switched to chasing and it’s good to see Ruby Walsh coming to Ireland to ride him’.

• Betting: All Tuesday’s cards, form and odds

FISTS OF FURY: The only thing worse than a physical beating fromTyson is a verbal assault

By Josh Powell

The unbeaten Tyson Fury held no punches when he went on a foul-mouthed twitter rant that managed to spectacularly insult British and Commonwealth heavyweight champ David Price, promoter Frank Maloney, light heavyweight champion Tony Bellew and a decent proportion of Merseyside.

Price took apart Fraudley Audley Harrison in just 82 seconds on Saturday which sparked a bizarre outburst from Fury live on Channel Five. Price’s promoter Frank Maloney immediately offered Tyson £500,000 to take on the Liverpool fighter but the Price wasn’t right for the Fury camp.

It appears Fury wants a world title shot before he considers taking on Price but he’s going to have to prove he can walk the walk now he’s talked the talk.

Fury’s tweets were so aggressive the British Boxing Board of Control officials will discuss if the Irishman should face punishment, in the form of a fine, ban or both.

WARNING: For all of our mums reading the Paddy Power Blog, skip past the next couple of tweets. They’re super rude and are jammed full of naughty language and spelling mistakes.

@davidprice_1 I’m gonna smash your face in u shithouse scouse prick I look in your eyes and c fear! Ill take your sole and give it the devil

— Tyson Fury (@Tyson_Fury) October 15, 2012

I’m not responding to washed up scouse boxers or never gonna be’s! So all u cunts go suck off David price

— Tyson Fury (@Tyson_Fury) October 15, 2012

@mrdavidhaye @davidprice1 u pair r a joke a lot alike both big hitters both no hart both chinless and both as bent as a nine bobnote!Bringit

— Tyson Fury (@Tyson_Fury) October 15, 2012

@tyson_fury fuck sake lad have a day off will ya. I’m gonna to block you you fucking stalker. Go an bore someone else. #emptyhead

— David Price (@DavidPrice_1) October 15, 2012

The talk from both camps is that they are willing to meet and arrange a fight in the future which could set us up for a blockbuster showdown next year. In anticipation for the big fight we’ve priced up David Price as the 1/4 favourite with Tyson Fury 13/5 to back up his tweets.

• Betting: David Price v Tyson Fury

For now we can enjoy Tyson calling out David Price, worrying Channel Five producers and giving a swift backhand to plumbers all in a 40 second clip.

Football

Steven Gerrard has come out fighting ahead of England’s trip to Poland  and told Patrick Vieira that the country’s youngsters do dream of playing for The Three Lions. Vieira questioned how many players pull out of the England squad but Liverpool and England captain Gerrard told him not to doubt the team’s passion.

Gerrard and manager Roy Hodgson have also backed Ashley Cole who could win his 99th cap tonight. After Cole called the FA a ‘#BUNCHOFTW*TS’ on Twitter there were questions raised about his international future. Luckily the gaffer and the captain have made it clear that despite him being an idiot and not someone you’d want to go for a pint with, he’s the best left-back of our generation.

England are 19/20 to win tonight with Poland 3/1 and the draw in Warsaw is 12/5.

• Betting: Poland v England
• Ruthless Roy: Hodgson could hit England for six

Elsewhere Ireland are under huge pressure to get a result against the Faroe Islands after that disastrous 6-1 thumping by Germany on Friday. Scotland and Wales face very difficult away trips to Belgium and Croatia respectively in Group A and Northern Ireland welcome Portugal. Cristiano Ronaldo will be making his 100th appearance for the national side and a win for Portugal could spell the end for Michael O’Neill’s side.

• Betting: International matches coupon
• World Cup Qualifiers bankers and blowouts

Formula One

Lewis Hamilton has tipped up Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso to win the Drivers Championship with four races remaining in the F1 season.

Reigning champ Sebastian Vettel won his third race on the spin in Korea and has a six point cushion over Alonso. Hamilton admitted his title chances are over but thinks the Spaniard deserves the title.

‘His team haven’t made one mistake. He hasn’t always been the fastest but he has been up there. He has driven like the champion he is all year and I feel as though he is a three-time world champ’.

Vettel is odds-on at 1/4 to win the championship with Alonso at 5/2. The next race is in 12 days time in India.

• Betting: Formula One Drivers Championship

Boxing

Unsurprisingly Tyson Fury could land himself in a spot of bother with the British Boxing Board of Control for abusing David Price on twitter.

WARNING! Mum if you’re reading this, ignore the tweet below. It contains lots of rude words.

@davidprice_1 I’m gonna smash your face in u shithouse scouse prick I look in your eyes and c fear! I’ll take your sole and give it the devil

— Tyson Fury (@Tyson_Fury) October 15, 2012

General secretary Robert Smith has hinted that Fury could receive a fine and possibly a suspension.

Racing

Yesterday Richard Hughes had Paddy Power running for cover as he rode an incredible seven winners at Windsor at odds of 10,168/1. It cost Paddy more than €1 million as Hughes became only the second jockey to ride seven winners on one card in England.

• Hughes sorry now? Paddy Power gets bashed at Windsor

There is racing today from Leicester, Huntingdon, Wolverhampton and the Curragh. Unfortunately the eight race card at Newcastle has not survived the torrential rain in the North East and has been abandoned after an inspection this morning.

The Sun’s leading tipster Templegate has his nap running in a mile-and-a-quarter handicap in the 5.10 at Leicester.

‘Stop the bookies in their tracks with Exning Halt. He was unlucky to bump into a couple of well handicapped horses on his last two but this looks easier. Conditions will suit and trainer James Fanshawe is in terrific form’.

• Betting: All Tuesday’s cards, form and odds

Here is an animated gif of Price raining down punches to floor Harrison and retain his British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles.

The 29-year-old winner said afterwards: “I needed more rounds in order for people to see the best of me. I frighten myself sometimes.” Us too, pal.

• More Gifs

Football

Yaya Toure has told the Sun newspaper that he plans to pile more misery on Jose Mourinho and Real Madrid. The Special One has not had a good start to the season, and following defeat against Seville at the weekend Madrid have now only won one of the last four. Toure won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2009 and now wants to do the same with Manchester City. Mancini’s team are 9/2 to come away from the home of the Spanish champs with three points with Madrid the 4/6 favourites for the win tomorrow night. In good news for City fans Sergio Aguero could make his return to the starting line up after getting injured on the first day of the season against Southampton.

• Betting: Real Madrid v Manchester City
• Betting: Champions League coupon
• Betting: Champions League outright

Everton and Newcastle meet at Goodison Park tonight in the Premier League. In this fixture last season Everton took the three points with a convincing 3-1 victory but Newcastle don’t have the worst record on the blue half of Merseyside. The Toffees are odds-on favourites at 5/6, with the draw at 5/2 and Newcastle are 10/3.

You can check out all the stats you need to know to inform your betting on tonight’s game right here!

• Betting: Everton v Newcastle
• Betting: Premier League outright

Boxing

Amir Khan’s axed coach Freddie Roach has pulled no punches regarding the British fighter. Khan has asked Virgil Hunter to take over as the new coach in his camp and Roach has warned whoever the new trainer is to keep Amir ‘away from punchers’. The jibe is sure to hit Khan below the belt as his critics constantly highlight his glass chin.

Meanwhile Ricky Hatton, who makes his comeback in November, has vowed to be fitter and stop the binge sessions in-between fights that often saw his weight balloon. The Hitman makes his return in Manchester on November 24th and has said he plans on being a more mature fighter.

• Betting: Boxing coupon

Racing

There is plenty of racing to get stuck into today from Brighton, Musselburgh, Wolverhampton and Listowel.

Ruby Walsh made a winning return to the saddle at Listowel yesterday after more than a month away from the track with a broken ankle. He rides Willie Mullins’ Sweet my Lord who is a 5/6 favourite in the 4.05pm race at the festival today.

The Sun’s racing tipster Templegate is napping the 3/1 shot The Bells O Peover in a handicap race at 3.40pm at Musselburgh.

He ran a blinder last week when beaten just a neck in the Jump Jockeys’ Derby at Epsom. This will be his first try in this grade since winning a whopping 18 lengths last September.

• Betting: All today’s racing

Football

Despite having a trophy cabinet as empty as Michael Barrymore’s diary, Arsenal look set to keep Arsene Wenger at the club for a few years to come. The Frenchman’s contract expires in 2014, but Gunners’ chief executive Ivan Gazidis plans to offer him an extension well beyond that.

“It’s not a sense of sentimentalism, not a reward for our services, it’s a belief that we have an incredible manager who loves this club and is the best man to lead us forward,” said Gazidis about the sentimentalism and reward. Arsenal are 12/1 to win the Premier League this season and are heavily fancied to beat Southampton this Saturday.

- It’s a miracle! Andy Carroll will return from injury next week after those pain in the ass international matches are out of the way recovering miraculously fast from what was described as a moderately serious injury likely to rule him out for several weeks. The Hammers travel to Norwich for Saturday’s early kick off, where they’re 21/10 to win.

- In other injury comeback news, Sergio Aguero isn’t as crippled as he was a couple of weeks ago and is back in training. The Argentine striker was injured in Manchester City’s game with Southampton. He’ll miss Saturday’s visit to Stoke, but could be in line for a return when begin their Champions League campaign against Real Madrid next Tuesday.

• Betting: Premier League matches 
• Betting: Premier League betting

Boxing

The closest Ricky Hatton has been to a ring in the last couple of years is the donut section of his local Tesco, but the Mancunian is fitting fit. Speculation is growing that the Hitman will announce his return to the sport in a press conference on Friday with late November pencilled in as the date for a bout against someone who likes getting money for putting in an adequate, but not necessarily threatening amount of effort.

Tennis

Former world number one, Juan Carlos Ferrero has announced his intention to retire from tennis next month after the Valencia Open. The news will come as a huge shock to many tennis fans who assumed he had retired several years ago. Zing! That’s a bit harsh because the Spaniard won the French Open in 2003 and lost in the final of the US Open in the same year.

Racing

Camelot is pretty much the only show in town in the Racing Post this morning featuring an interview with his jockey, Joseph O’Brien and plenty of analysis of the 2,000 Guineas and Derby winner’s chances of winning the St. Leger. Interestingly, there are a few doubts expressed, mainly about the horses ability to step up to the one and three quarter mile trip. The Ballydoyle horse is 4/11 to complete the final leg of the Triple Crown at Doncaster on Saturday.

• Betting: English St Leger
• Betting: Irish St Leger

FACE OFF: Vitali Klitschko defends his title against Manuel Charr on Saturday night in Moscow  (pic: Getty)

By Lee Dover

There are many questions being asked in the sporting world right now.

When will John Terry next grace the front pages of tabloid newspapers for another off-the-field no-no? Is Andy Murray really on the cusp of winning a Grand Slam title? How long until Michael Schumacher realises his marvellous days at Ferrari simply cannot be repeated?

However boxing faces only one question– can the Klitschko brothers ever be knocked off their joint thrones?

Vitali and Wladimir have been at the top of the food chain in the bruising sport for longer than we can remember, and no-one seems to have found the solution to knocking them of their perch. Just ask David Haye for first-hand experience when pursuing this task.

However, Vitali is about to face one of his most dangerous opponents when he puts his WBC world heavyweight championship on the line against the Diamond Boy Manuel Charr.

The German has certainly earned his stripes since turning professional in 2005, remaining undefeated in 21 fights. This has included 11 knockouts and resulted in the likes of Danny Williams, Owen Beck and Taras Bydenko all falling prey to his stiff fist.

The Diamond Boy believes that he is only days away from making Vitali bow to him.

I know Vitali’s trainer Fritz Sdunek and I worked with him. Therefore I know how he has prepared Vitali. I have my tactics against Vitali and I am 1000 per cent sure that my tactics will be better. I will be the new WBC world heavyweight champion — Charr

Paddy Power is offering 11/1 (from 16s) that Charr will be able to back up his words in the ring on Saturday night in their online betting.

But Vitali is not taken anything for granted heading into the bout.

 We chose one of the most toughest opponents. Charr is young, aggressive and strong. I’m sure our fight will be very interesting.

Vitali’s record reads 44 wins, including a phenomenal 40 knockouts, and has put the likes of Juan Carlos Gomez and Tomasz Adamek in their place.

He even caused Dereck Chisora to have a hissy fit against Haye after humbling him in the ring earlier this year.

Vitali is 1/50 to record his 45th victory of his career this weekend, though the odds of 13/8 for the Ukrainian to win anywhere between the seventh and 12th round may hold a little more value.

• Betting: Klitschko v Charr coupon 
• Betting: Boxing Coupon 

Morning update from the Paddy Power Blog on all the latest betting moves in sport

Football

- Chelsea last night took a commanding hold of the title race with just 36 and 9/10th rounds of matches remianing. The Blues moved three points clear at the top thanks to a 4-2 win over Reading at Stamford Bridge. It was an uncomfortable night for Roberto di Matteo’s side however, especially if your name is Petr Cech. The goalie was responsible for letting Danny Guthrie’s pea-roller squirm away from him to give the Royals a 2-1 lead, but inspired by Eden Hazard and some questionable referee’s-assistanting, Chelsea rallied to paper over the cracks with a seemingly comfortable victory. Chelsea are 4/1 to win the Premier League.

- In a brief transfer round-up, Martin O’Neill seems to have lost his mind and has agreed to pay Wolves £12 million for Steven Fletcher. Manchester City are said to be impressed by David Luiz’s hair are willing to give Chelsea £30 million to bring it to the El Etihad. After shipping out a whole range of players, Andre Villas-Boas is now on a Tottenham recruitment drive and he plans to sign Damiao from Internacional in Brazil for £20 million.

• Premier League Betting

- The first festival of petty gamesmanship and occasional bursts of nice football takes place tonight as Barcelona and Real Madrid face off in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup. It’s Barca’s first competitive game under Pep Guardiola’s replacement, Tito Vilanova and the hosts are 4/5 favourites to win at the Camp Nou. Our La Liga expert, Graham Hunter has run the rule over the game and his conclusion is “don’t miss it.”

• Barcelona v Real Madrid Betting

Boxing

- Ricky Hatton is reportedly on the verge of a comeback to boxing after it was confirmed there is enough fabric in the world to make him a new pair of glittery shorts. The former light welterweight and welterweight world champion has resumed training, lost weight and “almost given up alcohol” and as everyone knows, almost giving up alcohol is a key step on the path to sporting greatness. According to reports in the Daily Mail, Hatton is planning to shoot fish in a barrel against a journeyman fighter in a bout planned for Manchester next November or January. That will be the first part of a plan to remind the world he’s not as bad as his crushing defeat to Manny Pacquiao in 2009.

Rugby Union

There may be trouble brewing in European club rugby as English and French clubs have thrown their toys out of the pram on account of the automatic qualification teams from the Rabo Direct Pro 12 receive for the Heineken Cup. Teams from the Aviva Premiership and France’s Top 14 have it tougher than their Celtic cousins according to Mark McCafferty, CEO of Premiership Rugby and they’re threatening to form their own continental copy

“Most of the Ireland squad will not be released for the Pro 12 until rounds three or four, something they could not do if they depended on their finishing position in the league for European qualification,” he boo-hooed, conveniently forgetting that the main barrier to English success in the competition is crap players and flogging those players to within in an inch of their lives.

If there is a bias towards the Celtic nations, it’s being well concealed by the Heineken Cup betting. Two of the top eight are from Ireland, with three clubs a piece coming from France and England. Leinster are the 10/3 favourites to record three Heineken Cup wins on the bounce.

• Heineken Cup Betting

GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY: Will Katie make the big bucks in the pro game?

by Rob Dore | sports writer

Despite the seeming inevitability of Katie Taylor’s Olympic gold medal win, the Bray boxer had to show her battling qualities in the final to overcome the defensive Russian Sofya Ochigava. This was on top of living up to the high expectations of the boisterously supportive, success-starved Irish fans who packed the ExCel Arena in London. As ever, Katie upheld her part of the bargain.

Now that the five-time European champion, four-time World champion and Olympic gold medallist has achieved everything she can in the amateur game, talk has turned to the prospects of her turning pro. That’s something she has admitted to be considering in an this morning, live on Sky Sports News.

Katie said: “I am not really sure what I am going to do yet, it is a tough decision. I am going to take a few weeks off, but if I am offered a good contract, obviously I will have to consider it.

“It is my future, it is my career as well so I will have to consider a good professional contract or else I could stay amateur and try to defend my Olympic title.

“Either way it is going to be an exciting career, but I will make that decision in the next few weeks.”

Max Clifford backs Irish star for financial windfall

Despite her sweeping success over the last seven years, the financial rewards have been near non-existent for Katie. Only recently has the club she trains in been updated to 20th century standards with the addition of toilets and showers. Improvements which were privately funded by local businessmen.

Having given so much and received so little in return from the Irish government, the Olympic Committee of Ireland will struggle to offer a convincing argument as to why Katie should stay on for the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil. The financial iron is sizzling right now in the aftermath of her win and the attention it received and she would be well advised to strike now to reap the fiscal rewards she deserves.

Celebrity agent Max Clifford came up with a figure of €6 million over the next four years should Taylor turn pro, a large chunk of that figure being made up with sponsorship and endorsements.

Why Katie is perfect poster girl for pro boxing

The reality of women’s boxing is that it has declined in popularity, at least in a commercial sense, since the days of Laila Ali, daughter of Muhammed Ali just six years ago. Currently there is very little prize money to be earned for female boxers, particularly in America to such an extent that several officials and fighters have warned Taylor about heading Stateside to launch her career.

If the offspring of one of the greatest boxers to ever live can’t ignite the public’s interest in women’s boxing then who can?

Katie Taylor, that’s who.

We wanted everyone to see how great women’s boxing was this week, and we wanted to show off to the world, and that’s exactly what we did – Katie Taylor

If marketed and managed correctly, the fervent Irish support she would enjoy wherever she fought would be enough to elevate women’s boxing in to the mass consciousness. Katie’s quarter-final fight with Team GB’s Natasha Jonas broke the record for crowd noise at the games.

Her clean-living lifestyle, modest comportment and supreme talent make her the perfect poster girl for the sport. It was the presence of Taylor which sped up the inclusion of women’s boxing at the Olympics. Without her we would have had to wait until Brazil 2016 and what a loss that would have been to the London Games.

Professional boxing is in a period of decline for men and women. This makes things tough for the average male boxer and near farcical for the lower-paid female fighters. Professional boxing needs a shot in the arm, particularly the women’s game and what better shot to give it than Katie Taylor and her green army?

• Betting: Boxing