With great excitement I got the sofa ready past Saturday night for the WBA heavy-weight boxing bout between Nikolai Valuev and Britain’s David Haye. It was the first time I’ve been excited properly about boxing since the middle weight adventures of British fighters like Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn in the nineties.

You already know how much we’ve been diggin’ the just released Gilles Peterson presents Havana Cultura – New Cuba Sound double album ! and so we’re thrilled to be heading to the London and Paris shows coming up very soon (see info below). We predict that this album is going to be with us for a long time, kinda like Gilles’ mighty Nuyorican Soul album has been and so we urge you to get yourself a copy and to check out these first wave of events to celebrate the release.

Worldwide DJ, radio personality, sportswide fanatic, tastemaker of groove Gilles Peterson sure seems to do it all ! Now add “book author” to that list. Along with co-compiler Stuart Baker, Peterson is responsible for Freedom, Rhythm & Sound – Revolutionary Jazz Original Cover Art 1965-83, a hardcover tome that collects many of the greatest, truly visionary examples of album art during one of the most revolutionary moments in recent history.

Our Sportswide don is clearly a sporty guy (as in huge fan !) but it’s never that easy to actually get sporty oneself. I’m guessing that cause we recently dropped off a great pair of misoul running shoes to Gilles, amongst other reasons he explains below, that he’s committing right here in front of us all to gulp take on a Marathon !!! you go Gilles, we’re with you all the way and even happier if it’s the LA Marathon next year ….. to boost the odds, we’ll our pros Luke McKenzie, Chris Lieto or um especially Katya Meyers and Jenny Fletcher to assist !

We’re happy to get our Exclusive 66 Mixes from Gilles and the extended family whenever they are available, what with GP living up to his Worldwide moniker at every turn and is now on his way for a series of gigs in Japan. We’re looking forward to his ‘Sportswide’ report on Sumo wrestling from there so stay tuned and a reminder that his excellent Havana Cultura release (check the minimix in the jukey) is out soon Oct 29.

This edition of Sportswide has Gilles P. taking us through the latest World Cup updates from Europe into South America and out via Africa with congrats to Rio for winning the 2012 Olympics bid. “England, Spain and Holland are already through to the finals in South Africa and another 6 teams from Europe should be known by the middle of next week. The groups to watch for last minute excitement look like group 1 where Ronaldo’s Portugal are in a bit of stick …..

Worldwide don Gilles Peterson took a 66 minute break from his hectic globetrottin’ schedule and preparing the upcoming Oct 12 Havana Cultura release (minimix in the jukey) to bring us the latest Exclusive 66 Mix ! so please do check in on our jukebox …..

and so as we’ve been promising you for the past couple months – you know those tourist t-shirts that read ‘…..went to Havana and all I got was this t-shirt’ well lucky for us our good friend (GP Sportswide) went to Havana recently and what we are getting is a pretty amazing double album ‘Gilles Peterson Presents Havana Cultura’. Gilles’ whirlwind trip in Havana to make a record (or 2) at the legendary Egrem studios collaborating with top Cuban pianist Roberto Fonseca and Vince Vella has resulted in …..

Worldwide Gilles is back on track now that he’s completed his Havana Cultura album and brings us his US Open roundup and gives his Champions League predictions:
so Juan Martin del Potro wins the US open – wow ! and all that after Federer’s legendary hotdog shot the day before. the tides are turning a touch in the world of men’s tennis…..

the ever roving Gilles (Peterson) is back from a gig in Helsinki and spinning at the wonderful Bestival tonight the 11th, but he did find time to bring us his views on the US Open, Womens European Cup and Football runnings – Game on !

so the rains coming down on Flushing Meadows – funny how Wimbledon now seems the most modern yet traditional of all the Grand Slams. I always regard the US Open as the closing of the summer – it comes closely after Notting hill Carnival and is often comparable in its sound clash …..

Friends We Love is now 2.0. Our good friends
 Mike Vargas and Moni Pineda have recently re-launched their visual web community with loads of new features with easy click through functions,
 all stylish placed upon a very clean and captivating design. Initially
 when FWL started out a year ago, the focus was to capture the 
inspiration and motivation behind some of our favorite creative
 talents through their show Artist Profiles – from Invader to K’Naan, Bobbito to Gilles Peterson (Sportswide), J.Period to Jose James to Zap Mama and Jonathan Levine…..

We now have our first 2 Exclusive 66 Mixes in and uploaded so do yourself a favor and tune in on our jukebox (it even pops up these days !) for 2 oh so different and diverse mixes from our favorite globetrotters Gilles Peterson and Lefto. These will def keep you in the mood until either of the boys roll through your town any day now…..

The ever globetrotting GP has been on a much deserved hiatus recently and on his return has jumped right back into finishing up the new Jose James album as well as his Havana Cultura album from recent Cuba trip – both scheduled for October release – and so this week’s Sportswide has Gilles sprinting through his love of Athletics and then some ….
“….. this may have been the best week of my sporting year watching from the sofa !! being a record breaking fan of Athletics getting both morning and evening doses in front of the telly has simply been too much sugar ….

I think I’m gonna pass by the bookies today. The one nearby closed down recently – its probably got something to do with the online gambling explosion – but I can’t do all that. I only bet a couple of times a year anyway – the national and perhaps the odd game or 2. But today I’m gonna try and put a bet on the 5 champions of Europe.

our Sportswide don never really needs an excuse to wax on about his faves Arsenal, and his love of football and so here in all it’s uncensored glory is GP’s weekly: – I say bring Viera back to Arsenal ! ok, he might be almost over at 35 but the fans would love it and he’d def zip up the changing room and bring in some experience – and what, we’d get him for about 30 thousand a week – come on Arsene … wow – what about the off season transfer dealings this year – how good is it to have all that extra ammunition ….

its Friday so it must be Sicily – (I’m playing in one of the most beautiful clubs on earth tonight, mercati generale) – I remember being there for the last World Cup and being shocked that the matches weren’t being aired on the national free view stations – and so there I was walking around the outer suburbs of Catania looking for a cafe that might have a match on – clearly for someone who looks forward to World Cups 2 years ahead, this was a desolate situation to be in – specially in a country with such football pedigree – oh well, Berlusconi and his ways eh? …..

apologies on having missed a couple of GP Sportswide columns, but on the upside we’ve had loads of GP’s Worldwide accounts from his Havana Cultura trip, to the recent Soil &”PIMP” Sessions London sensation to the magical Worldwide Festival in Sete. Gilles just back from a Bastille Day soiree in Paris last night is clearly still in Bastille Day mode and a bit dare i say knackered but still waxes sportily about the Tour de France, his personal (un) fitness and his related ‘Tour de Gilles’

GP has returned from Havana and we will soon here some of the tunes from his new Havana Cultura album he’s working on – as an avid tennis fan, for sure he would not miss a day or two at Wimbledon – and so here’s his musings on his history with Wimbledon and todays runnings:

I first went to Wimbledon as a thirteen year old searching for a bit of extra cash. I didn’t quite mug old ladies but I managed to flog them copies of the Daily Mail – 6am starts and ‘full order of play’ ….

Impossible to keep Sportswide Gilles Peterson in one spot and lucky for us as his recent DJ gigs placed him at the French Open. You may have spotted him in the front row or nodding sadly as our very own Vera Zvonareva never finished due to injury – oh well we look forward to Wimbeldon and a fine comeback – balls away Gilles: I was at Roland Garros at the weekend. Sunday in fact – I had to play the “Nouveau Casino” in Paris later that night. I LOVE going to Tennis tournaments – I’ve done all the Grand Slams now.

Talk about a Sportswide lifestyle ! – Gilles P curates, spins and hosts the recent Mulatu & The Heliocentrics sensation at London’s Koko followed immediately by his Going Downtairs club night and direct into broadcasting his Worldwide radio show. Come morning he’s off on the road to DJ in Nice, Marseilles and Paris and still takes in time to hit the Grand Prix in Monaco – bet he also makes it for some of the tennis at Roland Garros in between a couple games of footie :