But there are many who want him to silence Hamed

But there are many who want him to silence Hamed.”I just hope Naz gets the respect he deserves when he beats Steve because Steve has been a real champion,” continued Ingle. I told everybody he would be champion,” said Hamed’s manager, Brendan Ingle.There appears no other plot, no final twist to the tale of the Sheffield boxer and by midnight tonight there are few who believe Robinson will still be champion. He has been since winning his first schoolboy title at Derby in 1987 He expects to win and to win in style “It is my destiny,” he has repeatedly stated “Since he was seven I have watched him. When the first bell goes nearly 16,000 people will place their faith in the Ely boy.Hamed is just 21, but he is the star.

In the serious world of boxing the Welsh trio have been unlikely wanderers since Robinson shocked John Davison to win the title in April 1993. Despite being confident of keeping his title, he is a lonely figure surrounded by the gentle characters who have guided him since his inauspicious debut in Cardiff six years ago.At Robinson’s side, his trainer Ronnie Rush and his manager Dai Gardiner are eloquent examples of sport’s haves and have-nots. Boxing

JAMES REED
Naseem Hamed’s yellow, red or blue fists have ruined the ambitions of 19 men since his first professional fight in 1992. Tonight he will weave his way from the warmth and funky music of his dressing-room to challenge Steve Robinson for the World Organisation featherweight title at Cardiff Rugby Club’s ground.Hamed the upstart, the little genius, the punk in shades, is also the favourite.Robinson appears resigned to his role as a bit-player. Dwyer is in Paris helping coach Racing Club so will not be in Sydney next Saturday when the choice is made between him, Greg Smith of New South Wales and John Connolly of Queensland.

Smith already has the five NSW votes sewn up and Connolly Queensland’s three, leaving the only hope for Dwyer to garner all the remaining six.. Equally, the numbers fighting relegation increased when Orrell beat Sale and the need for points is no less urgent for Saracens and Bristol at Southgate than it is for Gloucester and all three northern clubs.Welsh rugby’s Heineken League presents an occasion to rival last Saturday’s involving Leicester and Bath, though the punters who will fill Stradey Park to see Llanelli and Cardiff will hope for a match that does truer justice to the expectation.News from elsewhere is that time is almost up for Bob Dwyer, coach of the great Australian teams of the Nineties. “Not that I’m suggesting that Moore’s remarks come into this category in any way.” Of course not. Contract details will be revealed at Twickenham on Monday.In the pursuit of Bath and Harlequins, meanwhile, Leicester dare not slip up at Gloucester – who are under new management in the shape of England’s most-capped scrum-half, Richard Hill – nor Wasps at Sale.

But if he still has a place in future England squads he will need to become unwontedly reticent.”When contracts become a way of life for England squad players under the new open rugby there will a clause relating to bringing the game into disrepute,” Tony Hallett, the RFU secretary, said. Of which there is about as much chance as there is of Will Carling being left in peace.Quins take on West without another England player who cannot keep out of the public eye, Brian Moore, whose place at hooker goes to the West old boy Simon Mitchell. Just as well, perhaps, for Moore to be allowed to avoid playing in the same side after the criticism of Carling’s captaincy in his autobiography, though he does have a place on the bench.In view of opinions expressed in the book about officialdom, Moore probably could not care less that the Rugby Football Union will not be investigating his view of Carling. As it happens, he managed to display some of his finest form even while his personal problems were reaching their unhappy conclusion.Remarkably, Quins’ perennial under-achievers stand alongside Bath at the head of the Courage Championship with three wins from three – and would even go clear if they won and Bath lost at home to Orrell or if they won by a margin eight points greater than Bath beat Orrell. “I don’t see the club at any stage saying ‘I’m sorry, Will, we don’t want you to play’,” Saward said. “He trained, he is in the team, and he has not said he doesn’t want to play.”Provided this remains the case, it will answer those who have questioned Carling’s club commitment down the years of his international captaincy. But better to front up now, so the line from Quins and by extension Carling goes, than delay the inevitable.So the England World Cup captain is due to play, the team having been chosen in the knowledge of the furore to come and announced after the separation had been made public.

“The whole rat-pack will be out but what can we do?” Quins’ Alex Saward sighed in anticipation.Rugby has no precedent, thank goodness, for the publicly played-out antagonism and anguish of Carling’s separation from his wife, Julia, nor for the attendant media prurience. Rugby Union

STEVE BALE
Will Carling will find it somewhat easier coping with West Hartlepool at The Stoop this afternoon than with those who will be present for anything but the rugby. But it is also frustrating Central Office’s efforts to secure more women and able, unmarried candidates. The administrative methods used last Wednesday were no doubt pretty ruthless; but the democratic argument is rather more complex than the angry delegates who will rise to the rostrum in Ms Davies’s defence next week are prepared to allow.. But he believes that she isn’t the larger membership’s either – let alone that of the wider electorate – and at this point One Member One Vote cuts both ways: as the first leader elected by national and compulsory individual ballot in all three sections of the electoral college, the leader has a democratic locus within the party too.It was, moreover, the NEC that delivered all-women shortlists; Tory local autonomy may help to shore up the Euro-rebels “party within a party”. It isn’t that easy to quarrel with Dennis Skinner’s gibe that, by contrast, Neil Kinnock voted 77 times against the parliamentary whip before becoming leader of his party.But Blair doesn’t see it like that. And it isn’t just that under Clause 10 of the party’s constitution the final decision is vested in the executive.