pro

The Englishman, born to a Albanian father and a British-Yemeni mother, became hooked on the sport when his mum brought him to a boxing gym aged five.

“I was doing loads of sports at the time. But when I started sparring at about nine I just fell in love with it,” he says.

“The first time I got punched I thought ‘I have to get him back’. I used to get angry when I’d get hit. You have to learn to take one and land two in a minute.”

Maca caught the eye of Matchroom because of his remarkable amateur record. He has seven titles in the junior ranks, including five national titles.

He also won a silver medal at the IBA World Junior Championships representing Albania in 2023.

While he was earmarked to be a potential Olympian, he has long had his sights on linking up with Hearn – even cornering him at an event with fellow future Matchroom fighter and heavyweight Leo Atang.

“We didn’t get ringside [tickets] back then,” Maca jokes. “We spoke to Eddie and said we wanted to sign with him one day. He said, ‘come to me when you’re a bit older, boys’. And now here we are.”

Like Maca, Atang will make his professional bow as an 18-year-old. He fights on Jack Catterall’s undercard in Manchester in July.

WE may well be seeing lower slug and snail numbers this summer thanks to colder weather in winter and the recent dry spells.

But mother nature never makes it easy for us. Instead – of course – there’s a new pest in town.

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Aphid levels have rocketed this year – and the RHS reckons it’s top of the list of gardening queries to their hotline.

There’s over 500 different species found in the UK – and can be red, yellow, black, green, brown or pink.

They feed by sucking sap from plants – and can cause severe damage – including distorted growth, sooty mould and plant viruses – and sometimes plant death.

Chelsea award winning gardener Adam Woolcott – and Webb ambassador – gave Sun Gardening some top tips on how to tackle the most common early summer pests.

APHIDS

Physically remove the aphids from the stems and leaves.
Use natural insecticidal soaps.
Blast off with water jets.
Encourage predators such as ladybirds, lacewings, and hoverflies

VINE WEEVIL

Both the adult vine weevil beetles and their larvae cause damage.
Adults — all female — chew distinctive ‘U-shaped’ notches in leaves, particularly on evergreen shrubs like rhododendrons, escallonias, and viburnums.
Underground: larvae feed on plant roots and can kill container plants like Heucheras.
Remove adults at night when they’re most active
Break the life cycle with biological controls such as nematodes (apply in spring and autumn when grubs are active) Chemical treatments are a last resort, but offer longer-term control

LILY BEETLE

The bright red beetles and their larvae are both covered in their excrement. They can strip a plant in days, affecting flowering and bulb health.

Remove beetles by hand where practical
Encourage wildlife into the garden. Birds and ground beetles will eat the larvae
Grow a resistant variety.
Tolerate some damage if you can — total eradication isn’t always necessary.

CATERPILLARS

Especially troublesome in veg patches. Cabbage white butterfly caterpillars love brassicas, while box tree caterpillars are spreading rapidly across the UK, stripping foliage as they go.

Remove the caterpillars by hand if you can and destroy any badly affected plants (if practical) to stop the infestation from spreading.
Use biological sprays like nematodes.
In some cases, hot water and a mild detergent can help. Ecover is on sale at Dunelm for £2.45.
As a last resort, chemical controls can be effective

Also in Veronica’s Column this week…

Top tips, Gardening news, and a competition to win a £250 lawnmower

NEWS KING Charles made a surprise visit to Windsor Flower Show last Saturday. Celebrities including Alex Jones and Kirsty Gallacher were at the one-day show – which had wonderful village fair vibes, vegetable and cake competitions and fantastic floral displays.

TOP TIP JUNE is actually a good time to take Hydrangea cuttings – and get your own plants for free. They’ll have produced some soft green growth – which is what you want. Choose healthy, non flowering shoots that are 10-15cm long and cut just below the node (the leaf joint). Don’t collect cuttings from plants with leaves that are turning brown. And try to collect in the morning if you can.
Remove the lower leaves – leaving just one or two at the top.
Then dip the end in rooting powder or gel – then pop it straight in a pot. You could splash out on seeding and cutting compost – but multi purpose will do – just add a bit of grit or perlite. Then keep them out of direct sunlight and keep moist. They should have rooted within about a month.

NEWS A RARE ‘sheep-eating’ South American plant has flowered in an English primary school for the first time. The Puya Chilensis, with its iconic spike pattern, is normally found in the Andes in Chile. But after it was planted 10 years ago by school horticulturalist Louise Moreton, it has sent out a 10ft spike at Wicor Primary School in Portchester, Hants. It’s called a Sheep Catcher as it would normally entangle wildlife, hold onto it – and then when the animal died – would take the nutrients. Ms Moreton said it was exciting but a worrying sign of global warming.

WIN! Keep your lawn looking its best this summer by winning a Webb Classic Self Propelled Petrol Lawn Mower worth £249.99. To enter visit www.thesun.co.uk/WEBBCOMP or write to Sun Webb competition, PO Box 3190, Colchester, Essex, CO2 8GP. Include your name, age, email or phone. UK residents 18+ only. Entries close 11.59pm. July 5, 2025. T&Cs apply.

TOP TIP IF you want to get more flowers from your sedums (now called Hylotelephiums) and prevent them from collapsing – pinch them out around now. Pinch off around four sets of leaves down – which will make them bushier.

JOB OF THE WEEK Weeds thrive this month – keep on top of them by hoeing. Tie in sweet peas, and give your plants a good feed – liquid seaweed feed is great – and Tomorite works with nearly everything. Give agapanthus a high-potash feed every couple of weeks.

For more top tips and gardening news, follow me @biros_and_bloom

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes confirms he rejected big-money Saudi move to stay at Old Trafford.

Bruno Fernandes has confirmed he rejected a huge offer from Saudi Arabia and chose instead to stay at Manchester United, saying he wanted to “continue to play at the highest level”.

Speaking to media in a Portugal camp ahead of Wednesday’s Nations League semifinal against Germany in Munich, the football midfielder confirmed he received an “exciting offer” from Al-Hilal but wanted to be part of manager Ruben Amorim’s rebuild at Old Trafford.

Reports said Al-Hilal were willing to pay United up to 100 million British pounds ($135m) for the 30-year-old Portugal international.

“The president of Al-Hilal called me and asked me if I wanted to move there,” Fernandes confirmed, saying the club “waited for me to think about my future”.

“I talked to the gaffer and he asked me not to go,” Fernandes revealed, adding: “Man United said they didn’t want to sell me.

“They said if I wanted to go, I could, but they didn’t need the money.”

The player said a transfer would have been “easy” with several Portuguese players already in Saudi Arabia, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Joao Cancelo and Ruben Neves, but added: “I want to play at the highest possible level.

“I want to play major competitions. I know I still can, and I want to be happy doing the thing I love the most.

“For better or worse, this is how I see football and I’m passionate about football and this is the decision I’ve made.”

Man United ‘need’ Fernandes

United endured their worst finish of the Premier League era, finishing 15th. They also lost the Europa League final to Tottenham.

United captain Fernandes was one of the few players to emerge with credit from a disastrous season, scoring 19 goals and making 19 assists across all competitions.

Former United captain Gary Neville, now a Sky Sports pundit, said the development was “significant”.

“I think that there was an element of this situation that meant United getting that level of money, for someone of Bruno’s age, obviously, you couldn’t say that it would have been a bad deal,” he said.

“But, on the other hand, Manchester United’s star player – only player, at times – for the last four, five, six years, has been Bruno Fernandes. He’s so important.”

Neville added: “To turn that money down at a point where Manchester United are at their lowest ebb and say, ‘No, I want to fight through this, I want to see it through the other side, I want to come out and achieve things,’ I think it says a lot about him as a person, as a character.

“The club needs people who are going to run through a brick wall for them.”

United are expected to be busy in the transfer market as Amorim reshapes his under-performing squad.

The club have already signed Brazil forward Matheus Cunha from Wolves and are being heavily linked with Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo.

Departures could include Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Antony and Alejandro Garnacho.

Fernandes has made 290 appearances and scored 98 goals for United since his 47 million pounds ($63m) move from Sporting Lisbon in January 2020.

Inter Milan and Simone Inzaghi part ways after the Italian football club’s defeat by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final.

Simone Inzaghi has announced that he will leave Inter Milan following the Italian club’s defeat in the Champions League final, and amid heavy interest in his services from the Saudi Pro League.

The 5-0 rout by Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the final of European football’s premier club competition on Saturday was Inzaghi’s final game in charge of the Serie A runners-up.

“The time has come for me to say goodbye to this club after a run of four years during which I gave everything,” Inzaghi wrote in a letter to Inter fans on the club’s website on Tuesday.

The loss to PSG on Saturday marked the most lopsided defeat in the 70-year history of major European finals.

Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal is reportedly trying to lure Inzaghi with an offer of more than 20 million euros ($23m) per season.

Inzaghi coached Inter to the Serie A title last year, and was also in charge when the Nerazzurri lost the 2023 Champions League title to Manchester City.

He was at Inter for exactly four years and had one more season remaining on his contract.

It’s unclear now who will coach Inter at the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States starting June 14.

Inter opens against Monterrey on June 17 — a day before Al-Hilal opens against Real Madrid.

There has been speculation that Inter would go after Cesc Fabregas, who coached Como to a 10th-place finish in Serie A.

Inter finished second in the Italian league last month, one point behind champion Napoli.

The Milan-based football club was in the running for a treble until it lost to city rival AC Milan in the Italian Cup semifinals in April. Having also been beaten by Milan in the Italian Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia in January, the Nerazzurri didn’t win a trophy this season.

The coaching change at Inter is just one of many managerial moves among the top Italian teams this off season, with Milan, Roma, Atalanta and others making changes.

CAR boot sales can be a treasure trove for bargain hunters, if you know what to look for.

Among the mountains of used toys, mismatched mugs, and bric-a-brac, there are hidden gems that are worth serious cash.

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And nobody knows that better than thrifty Mary Hagan, from North Lanarkshire, Scotland.

She picked up her love for car boot sales from her parents, visiting Paddy’s Market in Glasgow every week as a family before it was closed down by the city council in 2009.

She said: “I loved it and was very sad to see it close, as were loads of others.

“It was a big talking point in Glasgow years ago and families and friends would meet to show their bargains off.

“I even got my prom dress there for high school. It was a £5 bargain but I felt amazing in it.

“Times were hard then and although my mum worked, my dad didn’t due to his health but it didn’t stop us ever looking good.”

Now, the 48-year-old loves nothing more than scouring car boot sales and charity shops in her local area.

“I’ve had loads of bargains over the years”, she told Fabulous.

“I hardly ever buy anything new. But I love it as it saves things going to the landfill, and it’s better for your pocket.

“Also, with the way things are going, you need every penny you can get to survive.”

If she’s at her caravan holiday home, Mary ventures through to the Silloth boot sale in Cumbria – which she hails as a “money town where you’re guaranteed the best”.

And it’s here that she bagged a £600 designer gem for just £8.

The tan Mulberry Alexa satchel was wrapped in a dust bag when Mary stumbled across it towards the end of the day.

After sharing her find on TikTok (@mazzah77), she said: “I asked if I could have a look. The seller said ‘of course’ and I knew instantly I was onto a winner.

“I could tell it was genuine right away. It’s real leather, and the insides, the emblems, and condition are all spot on.

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“I asked how much and the seller had said because it was the end of day £10.

“Inside I was like ‘wow I’m definitely taking it anyway’ but the Glaswegian in me knew to haggle. I mean, who goes to a car boot and doesn’t haggle? It’s part of the excitement.

“So we agreed on £8. I was delighted and walked away Googling it straight away to realise a pre-loved Mulberry bag the exact same was fetching £600.

“I don’t know if I will resell or keep it, it’s not my usual style so who knows – if the price is right!”

She adds: “It’s always worthwhile going to car boots and charity shops as you just never know what you will find.

“Just remember to rummage and haggle.”

When Charles Dickens began his 1859 novel “A Tale of Two Cities” with the legendary line, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” who knew that it would aptly describe the state of amateur football in 2025?

From college athletics to high school athletics, if you’re a parent, coach, athlete or fan, you have plenty of stories to tell. Take notes, because there’s so much material you’ll be able to write a book, launch a podcast or participate in court cases still to be decided.

“It’s all crazy,” said future Hall of Fame football coach Matt Logan of Corona Centennial.

Football isn’t in a crisis but it is in a black hole with stakeholders seeking an escape path.

With final rules still not adopted in how name, image and likeness is supposed to work and college programs not only paying their own athletes but high school recruits, too, everyone is adjusting on the fly. Parents trying to navigate the changes are hiring agents, who are showing up to high school camps trying to find clients. There’s the college transfer portal and something similar in high school that saw more than 17,000 students switch schools in California last year.

Until NIL rules are figured out, it’s roll your eyes and don’t be surprised at anything.

Some elite high school players have been reclassifying their graduation years to take advantage of money opportunities. And that’s after parents held them back entering high school to be bigger, stronger and faster as a 16-year-old freshman.

It’s all legal and even logical but the changing landscape is riddled with pros and cons and bad actors.

One big concern in high school sports is that parents might be too focused on scholarships for their kids and earning NIL money while forgetting the real reason people play sports — for the love of the game.

“For me, the whole value in sports has been degenerated,” Logan said. “You don’t play sports to get a scholarship. You play to learn how to lead, how to take orders, how to be a good teammate, how to work together. This could be the only chance to have fun, play with their friends, have a great experience.”

There have been football scandals in recent years — twice at Narbonne High, which had City Section championships taken away in 2019 and 2024 for using ineligible players. Now the football community is focused on what the Southern Section intends to do this fall about Bishop Montgomery, which supposedly has numerous transfer students (some from Narbonne) and is so confident it’ll ‘ll be declared eligible that a trip to Hawaii and a nonleague game against powerful Mater Dei have been scheduled.

Every week, coaches have to decide how to deal with players and parents who have little patience and many options. It’s a balancing act, and for the elite of the elite, coaches can’t even count on juniors returning as seniors because of opportunities to skip ahead to college.

“I understand why they are doing it. They have my full support,” said Sierra Canyon coach Jon Ellinghouse, who’s losing star defensive lineman Richard Wesley to Oregon a year early after he reclassified to the class of 2026.

Ellinghouse is embracing the idea his job is to “put them into positions to have life-changing opportunities.”

There are many different paths to success and failure. Remember how LaVar Ball didn’t care that his youngest son, LaMelo, was 13 years old playing summer basketball as a freshman for Chino Hills. He threw him in against older players and the rest is history. He averaged 25.2 points this season for the Charlotte Hornets as a 23-year-old in his fifth NBA season.

There are others who were 19-year-old seniors in high school, stopped developing, kept switching schools and will probably blame their coaches for not making the pros when the truth is it’s difficult to become a professional athlete.

It is the best of times with all kinds of money to be given out for being a good athlete. It is the worst of times because many of the treasured lessons from playing amateur sports no longer receive priority treatment. What happened to the importance of getting a college degree?

It will take someone with magical ideas to return a balance to the amateur sports world.

SAMSUNG’s latest release is the thinnest smartphone on the market.

If you pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge now, you’ll get a free pair of Galaxy Buds3 Pro, worth £219, included with your purchase.

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Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, £52 per month on Sky Mobile

For anyone shopping around for a new handset, deals like this are a fantastic way to get more for your money.  

Sky Mobile is well-known for offering affordable deals, often sweetened by boosted data plans at no extra cost.

The standout pre-order deal here is the 10GB data plan, which is boosted to 40GB for just £12 per month.

There’s nothing to pay upfront either, and with the free Buds3 Pro thrown in, this deal delivers on all fronts.

If storage is important to you, Sky Mobile is also offering a double storage deal on the Galaxy S25 Edge.  

You can get 512GB worth of storage for the price of the 256GB model, just £40 a month, saving you a tidy £4.

This double storage offer ends on May 29th, so act quickly to enjoy more space for less.  

The Galaxy S25 Edge itself is a standout device in the S25 series, offering a thinner, lighter design compared to the other models.  

While I haven’t tested it myself, our Assistant Tech and Science Editor, Jamie Harris, has had a first-hand look at the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.

He praised the handset for being “lighter than any iPhone 16 model around.”

There are trade-offs to achieve that smaller frame, though.

The Samsung Edge is so much lighter because it comes with a noticeably smaller battery compared to the rest of the S25 lineup.

It sports a 3,900mAh battery, compared to 4,000mAh on the Galaxy S25, but that still gets you around 24 hours of video playback with moderate use.

But for shoppers looking for one of the latest Android models without the bulk and weight of modern handsets, the Edge strikes the right balance.  

The deal is only available for purchases made between May 13th 2025, and May 29th, with the headphones dispatched with your device.  

We regularly round up the top data plans from all major providers, so check out our best SIM-only deals page for more savings.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, £52 per month on Sky Mobile