Category: Sports

Boxing / Sports

Jake Paul to face Tommy Fury at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 6

Six months after his most recent fight, Jake Paul now knows when he’ll be getting back in the boxing ring.

Taking to social media on Thursday, the social media star-turned-professional boxer announced that he will face Tommy Fury at Madison Square Garden in New York City on August 6.

The 25-year-old Paul had previously been scheduled to face Fury — the younger half-brother of WBC and The Ring heavyweight champion Tyson Fury — last December before Fury pulled out of the fight due to a bacterial chest infection and a broken rib. Instead, Paul faced former UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley in a rematch from their fight that took place at Cleveland’s Rocket Mortgage Field House last August.

After initially defeating Woodley via split-decision in Cleveland, Paul — a native of Westlake, Ohio — conquered the 40-year-old former MMA star via knockout in a fight that took place in Tampa, Florida.

While Paul has amassed a 5-0 record in professional boxing, his wins have come against athletes who have primarily participated in other sports. In addition to Woodley, he has defeated YouTuber AnEsonGib, former NBA guard Nate Robinson and former MMA star Ben Askren.

In Fury, Paul will be facing his first opponent with an extensive background in professional boxing. Heading into the August fight, Fury lays claim to an 8-0 record, with four wins via knockout and four wins via decision, including a win via unanimous decision over Anthony Taylor in Cleveland on the undercard of the Paul-Woodley fight last summer.

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Boxing / Sports

Good, bad, worse: The remarkable emergence of Jesse Rodriguez, Canelo’s ire

Jesse Rodriquez has said repeatedly that his goal is to be a special fighter, not an average one. Well, there’s nothing average about this boxing savant.

The Texan has made the quantum leap from prospect to star as a result of two remarkable performances this year, a decision over Carlos Cuadras in February and a stunning knockout of Srisaket Sor Rungvisai on Saturday in San Antonio, Rodriguez’s hometown.

Cuadras and Sor Rungvisai have been 115-pound stalwarts for a decade. The naturally smaller Rodriguez not only beat them, he dominated them.

How did this unfold?

Luck played a key role. Rodriguez was scheduled to take part in a 108-pound fight on the Cuadras-Sor Rungvisai card on Feb. 5. When Sor Rungvisai pulled out because of illness, Rodriguez agreed to move up two divisions to 115 on five days’ notice and stunned everyone outside his own circle by winning a wide decision and the WBC’s secondary title.

Rodriguez would’ve have been justified had he moved back down weight. Instead, he made the decision to defend his belt against a powerful puncher who has victories over Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman Gonzalez (twice). The result? Rodriguez outclassed him, baffling the Thai star with his elite technical ability and then taking him out in the eighth round.

Sor Rungvisai hadn’t been stopped since his second pro fight, in 2009. Future Hall of Famers Estrada and  Gonzalez couldn’t do that.

I hesitate to anoint Rodriguez (16-0, 11 KOs) the next great thing because he’s had only 16 pro fights and both Cuadras (33) and Sor Rungvisai (35) are beyond their primes. At the same time, he has aced the eye test and won two important fights back to back.

One person who hasn’t been surprised by the events of the past four-plus months is Robert Garcia, Rodriguez’s veteran trainer.

“Look man, we know what Bam is all about, we know his talent,” Garcia said on a Little Giant Boxing video. “… So when they offered us a fight, I never even doubted that we’d be …

Football / Sports

Transfer Update….

Man Utd rejected Barcelona request for Harry Maguire swap included in Frenkie de Jong deal – Paper Talk

Manchester United have rejected a sensational request from Barcelona for England defender Harry Maguire to be included in any deal to sign midfielder Frenkie de Jong.

Richarlison: Chelsea are considering rivalling Tottenham for Everton striker

The Blues are interested in the Brazil striker as a potential replacement for Inter Milan-bound Romelu Lukaku; Spurs are very keen on Richarlison and Everton are braced for them to bid; Chelsea could sign as many as three new forwards, with interest in Raheem Sterling and Ousmane Dembele

Ronaldo not for sale despite Chelsea reports

Cristiano Ronaldo is not for sale and Manchester United expect him to remain at Old Trafford, despite reports linking the Portugal star with a sensational move to Chelsea. United’s failure to qualify for the Champions League and lack of signings so far this summer has led to reports that Ronaldo may want to leave.

West Ham make offer to sign Lingard on a free

West Ham United have made an offer to Jesse Lingard’s representatives over signing the player on a free transfer.

Lingard officially becomes a free agent on July 1 following the expiration of his Manchester United contract.

Lingard had a successful loan spell at West Ham in the second half of the 2020/21 season when he scored nine goals in 16 Premier League starts.…

Athletics / BBNaija / Sports

BBNaija star Mike Edwards crowned 2-time Nigerian high jump champion

Big Brother Naija (BBNaija) star Mike Edwards has emerged as the Nigerian high jump champion once again.

The 32-year-old Edwards was crowned Nigerian high jump champion at the ongoing 2022 National trials.

Edwards made his mark at the National trials organized by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN. Edwards a former British high jump athlete was in action at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City, Edo State. Edwards, an African Champion Silver medalist, added another laurel to his list by successfully defending his National title at the trails.

He became the high jump champion after scaling a season best of 2.20m.

Edwards took to his official Instagram account to celebrate his latest achievement.

Along with a photo of the event, was a message that said, “TWO TIME NIGERIAN NATIONAL CHAMPION #AndStillJOB FINISHED. SB: 2.20m road back to Commonwealth Games.”

Edwards is expected to be part of Nigeria’s contingent to the 2022 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXII Commonwealth Games in Birmingham starting this July.

Edwards missed out of the 2018 edition in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, sanctioned by the International Amateur Athletic Federation and International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

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Sports / Tennis

Serena Williams to begin Wimbledon against 113th-ranked foe

Serena Williams will begin her Wimbledon comeback by facing Harmony Tan, a 24-year-old from France who is ranked 113th and owns a 2-6 career record in Grand Slam matches. The placement of Williams in the women’s bracket was the most anticipated aspect of Friday’s draw at the All England Club. She is making her first appearance in singles at any tournament since she hurt her right leg and stopped playing during the first set of her first-round match at Centre Court a year ago. Because of her lack of activity over the past 12 months, Williams — who has been No. 1 in the rankings — is outside the WTA’s top 1,200 this week and so could have ended up anywhere in the field and against any opponent in the first round. She only returned to the tour this week by playing two doubles matches at a tune up event in England. While the 40-year-old American’s track record would merit a seeding, the All England Club now adheres strictly to the rankings in determining how it seeds players. Williams has won seven Wimbledon championships, part of her total of 23 Grand Slam singles titles, a record for the professional era. Tan, meanwhile, will be making her debut at the grass-court tournament. If Williams gets past Tan, next up could be a match against Sara Sorribes Tormo, who is seeded 32nd but has never been past the second round at the All England Club or the third round at any major in 19 past appearances. The third round potentially would put Williams against a tougher test: No. 6-seeded Karolina Pliskova, who was the runner-up to Ash Barty last year at Wimbledon and also reached the final of the 2016 U.S. Open — beating Williams in the semifinals there. Barty retired at age 25 in March and so is not defending her title when play begins on Monday. That also leaves open the question of which woman will have the honor of playing the first match at Centre Court on Tuesday, a …

Football / Sports

NEWCASTLE SIGNS GOALKEEPER NICK POPE FROM BURNLEY

Newcastle signed goalkeeper Nick Pope to a four-year contract after the England international completed a move from relegated Burnley on Thursday.

The Premier League club paid a fee reported to be 10 million pounds ($12.3 million) for Pope, who made 141 league appearances in his six seasons at Burnley.

The 30-year-old Pope will compete with Martin Dubravka to be manager Eddie Howe’s first-choice goalkeeper.

“Nick is an exceptional Premier League and international level goalkeeper so I’m very pleased to be adding strong competition to a very important position,” Howe said.

Howe said there was “a lot of interest” in Pope from other clubs.

Pope, who has made eight England appearances, said “I can’t wait to get started” at Newcastle, where he will be reunited with former teammate Chris Wood. The New Zealand striker joined in the January transfer window.

Burnley was relegated from the Premier League after six seasons following a 2-1 loss — to Newcastle — in the season finale that allowed rival Leeds to survive.…

Basket Ball / Sports

NBA Draft 2022: Magic taking Paolo Banchero at No. 1 fooled the league and gives us chaos for years to come

Remember how this was supposed to go?

1. Jabari Smith Jr.
2. Chet Holmgren
3. Paolo Banchero
4. Jaden Ivey

That’s what most mocks were telling you as of early Thursday evening, mere minutes before the 2022 NBA Draft got underway. Despite the fact that — as we previously laid out right here — the debate over who should go No. 1 was as compelling as we’d seen in years. That concept wound up proving true. Somehow.

Orlando, what have you done?

Made claim to one of the boldest 11th hour, 59th minute gambits in NBA Draft history, that’s what.

Ever since the night of the lottery, May 17, it seemed all the momentum was behind the idea that the Magic were going to go with convention and take Smith at No. 1. Oklahoma City was correspondingly rumored from the jump to be enamored with Holmgren. That, naturally, would leave Houston with the obvious choice of taking who was left of the big three — selecting Banchero third.

The Kings, who are undergoing the worst playoff drought of any pro sports franchise, surely would have to take the best player available at No. 4, right? Ivey. It would have to be him.

Then the betting markets went wild earlier in the week. Banchero moved from +1400 all the way to +175 (still behind Smith) to go No. 1. Subsequent reporting tried to extinguish that rumor.

Then, shortly before 8 p.m. ET on Thursday night, it all got blown to shreds. Chaos. The forecast was not reality. This is reality.

Banchero first to the Magic.

Holmgren second to the Thunder.

Smith — somehow! — goes third to the Rockets.

Keegan Murray — hello! — fourth to the Kings.

And then Ivey, who may well prove to be the best player in this draft 10 years from now, Ivey fell into the lap of the Detroit Pistons.

In what could prove to be one of the most talented drafts in recent history, Orlando and Sacramento — two franchises that …

Basket Ball / Sports

2022 NBA Mock Draft: Final projections for all 58 picks with Jabari Smith slotted No. 1 to the Orlando Magic

The NBA draft is Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET, and the first round is starting to take shape.

Auburn’s Jabari Smith is projected to go No. 1 to the Orlando Magic (over Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren and Duke’s Paolo Banchero), and there are rumblings multiple teams are interested in trading up to No. 4 in pursuit of Purdue guard Jaden Ivey.

Wake Forest wing Jake LaRavia and Arizona guard Dalen Terry are late first-round risers. It will be interesting to see what Oklahoma City does with the No. 2 pick and if the Thunder keep the pick at No. 12 or try to package it with future picks and trade up.

1. Orlando Magic: F Jabari Smith

Ht./Wt.: 6-10, 220 pounds | Class: Freshman | Auburn: 16.9 ppg, 7.4 rpg

Smith might be the youngest of the top three prospects, but he brings a wide variety of offensive skills that can be plugged into this Magic team right away. He has the length and athleticism to defend positions 1-4 and is the best shooting big in this draft class, averaging 42% from 3-point range, something the Magic desperately need some help with after shooting 33% from deep last season.

The Magic brought in Holmgren for one of their last workouts (Smith worked out for the team June 9), but there is so much to like about what Smith brings to the table right away with his elite shooting and defensive versatility.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder: C Chet Holmgren

Ht./Wt.: 7-0, 196 pounds | Class: Freshman | Gonzaga: 14.1 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 3.7 bpg

Sam Presti is patiently building something in Oklahoma City, and Holmgren might be the superstar prospect who starts to bring it all together. Yes, there are concerns about his slight frame at under 200 pounds, but what Holmgren brings to a team and what he can do on the court is remarkable with his elite ball-handling and footwork in the paint. Defensively, he’s a tremendous shot blocker and has the length to defend the perimeter and challenge …

Football / News / Sports

Diego Maradona: Eight doctors and nurses who cared for Argentina legend face homicide charges after his death

Maradona, who captained Argentina’s 1986 World Cup-winning team, died in November 2020 at the age of 60.

The star, who underwent surgery for a subdural haematoma a few weeks prior to his death, died due to cardiac arrest.

Prosecutors now claim his death was the result of “omissions” by his caregivers.

In the 236-page document seen by Reuters, the judge in charge of the case questioned “the behaviors – active or by omission – of each of the accused which led to and contributed to the realization of the harmful result”.

It said that eight people, including doctors, nurses and a psychologist who cared for Maradona at the time of his death, are accused of “simple homicide” – which means taking a life with intent.

A medical team appointed to investigate Maradona’s death in 2021 said the star’s medical team acted in an “inappropriate, deficient and reckless manner”.

The defendants named in the ruling were Maradona’s neurosurgeon and personal doctor, Leopoldo Luque, psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, psychologist Carlos Diaz, nurses Gisella Madrid and Ricardo Almiron, their boss Mariano Perroni, and doctors Pedro Di Spagna and Nancy Forlini.

They have all denied responsibility for Maradona’s death and the judge said that lawyers for some of them had requested the case be dismissed.

‘A guilty party is being sought at all costs’

Vadim Mischanchuk, an attorney for Cosachov, said they would appeal the decision, adding the psychiatrist’s area of care had no relation with Maradona’s cause of death.

“A guilty party is being sought at all costs and objectivity is being lost,” the lawyer said.

Mario Baudry, a lawyer for one of Maradona’s sons, told Reuters that the World Cup winner was “in a situation of helplessness” by the time of his death.

Following Maradona’s death, there were three days of national mourning before he was laid to rest in a cemetery near Buenos Aires.

Maradona had long struggled with his health, including alcohol and cocaine addiction. He was …

Football / Sports

Sadio Mane Joins Bayern Munich After Six Years in Liverpool

Sadio Mane has just signed for Bayern Munich for a fee of approximately $33.6M USD with $9.1M USD in add-ons.

The striker claimed it was the right time for a challenge, stating, “I’m very happy to finally be with FC Bayern in Munich. We had a lot of talks and I felt the great interest of this big club from the start.” He adding that he was a big fan of Bayern Munich during his time at FC Salzberg.

Bayern Munich’s CEO, Oliver Kahn, said in an official statement that they were delighted to have signed Mane. “With his outstanding performances and his great successes at the highest international level over many years, there are very few players like him in the world. We’re sure that Sadio Mané will delight our fans in the coming years with his spectacular style of play. He’s ambitious and eager to win more titles. This is a very strong package. With players like him at FC Bayern, all the biggest goals are possible,” Kahn said.

The 30-year-old forward departs after spending six years with Liverpool. The attacker joined the Merseyside in 2016 from Southampton, in which he’s won the Premier League, the Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup, FA Cup, and Carabao Cup.

The Senegalean forward bid farewell to Liverpool and their fans, claiming that he sent a long text announcing his departure to everyone involved. “That was the plan from the beginning – to leave Liverpool in a very good way. It was fantastic in the club, in the dressing room. I am friendly with everybody, the coaching staff and even the kitchen staff, the ladies in the kitchen! So, for me leaving in a good way is so, so important – and [for] the fans as well,” Mane saod.

It might take some time to get used to for Liverpool fans as Mane leaves after scoring a total of 120 goals in 269 appearances. With just one year left on his contract, he departs shortly after the club-record signing …

Football / Foreign / Fraud / Law / News

Ex-footballer Samuel Eto’o pleads guilty to tax fraud to avoid prison

Former Cameroon football star Samuel Eto’o has struck a deal with Spanish prosecutors to avoid going to jail for tax fraud he committed while playing for Barcelona, a court in the city announced Monday.

Eto’o, who played for Barcelona from 2004 to 2009, received a fine and a 22-month suspended sentence but will not serve any time, as is customary in Spain for prison terms of under two years for non-violent crimes.

Reports in Spain claim Eto’o, 41, will pay a fine of 1.8 million euros ($1.9 million).

The record four-time African footballer of the year and Jose Maria Mesalles — his former representative, who for his part was sentenced to 12 months and a fine — must reimburse Spanish tax authorities for the amount defrauded, around 3.9 million euros.

Prosecutors accused Eto’o of failing to declare income from the transfer of image rights between 2006 and 2009.

According to them, Eto’o transferred his image rights to a company based in Hungary which declared his earnings in that country, where the tax rate is one of the “lowest in Europe”.

A second Spanish company declared them in Spain at the corporate tax rate, less than the income tax that should have been paid.

Eto’o was the “real holder of the image rights”, maintained the prosecution, according to whom the transfer was fraudulent and only designed to pay less tax.

Eto’o, who last year was elected head of the Cameroonian football federation, is one of a number of football stars to have a run-in with Spanish tax authorities, following the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar.…

Sports / Tennis

Djokovic top men’s seed for Wimbledon in absence of Medvedev, Zverev

Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic will head into next week’s tournament as the men’s top seed with Russian world number one Daniil Medvedev banned from taking part while Germany’s second-ranked Alexander Zverev is out injured.

Organizers of the grass court Grand Slam have banned players from Russia and Belarus from playing at this year’s Wimbledon following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, which Russia calls a ‘special operation’.

Zverev had surgery on torn ligaments in his right ankle this month after he was forced to retire from his French Open semi-final against Rafael Nadal.

Djokovic, who was unable to defend his 2021 Australian Open title and the 2,000 ranking points he earned due to his non-vaccinated status against COVID-19, recently lost his world number one spot to Medvedev.

The Serbian, who has won the last three editions of the grasscourt major, will slip further down the rankings after Wimbledon as he will lose another 2,000 points with the ATP and WTA stripping the tournament of points.

The absence of Medvedev and Zverev means Nadal, who is halfway through a possible calendar year Slam after winning the Australian and French Open titles, to be seeded second.

It also results in Djokovic and Nadal finding themselves in different halves of the draw and they cannot face each other until the men’s final on July 10. The duo met in this year’s Roland Garros quarter-final where the Spaniard triumphed.

Britain has two players in the top 10 seeds at their home major with Cameron Norrie ninth while U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu is 10th in the absence of Belarussian Aryna Sabalenka.

Poland’s world number one Iga Swiatek will be the women’s top seed with Estonian Annett Kontaveit the number two.

Wimbledon organizers had previously used a computer-based system favoring results on grass courts in the previous two years to determine the seedings but from the 2021 edition seedings mirror the world rankings.…

Football / Sports

Giggs quits as Wales coach ahead of domestic violence trial

Ryan Giggs has quit as Wales coach with immediate effect, saying on Monday he didn’t want his upcoming trial on charges of domestic violence to destabilize the national team heading into its first appearance at the World Cup since 1958.

The Manchester United great has been on leave from his post since November 2020, with his assistant, Robert Page, guiding the Welsh to the World Cup in Qatar via the European playoffs this month.

Giggs is accused of controlling and coercive behavior against his former girlfriend from August 2017 to November 2020. He is also accused of assaulting her and her sister. The trial is due to start on Aug. 8.

“It has been an honor and a privilege to manage my country,” Giggs said, “but it is only right that the Wales FA, the coaching staff and the players prepare for the tournament with certainty, clarification and without speculation around the position of their head coach.”

Giggs has pleaded not guilty to the charges. A backlog of cases at Manchester Crown Court has delayed the start of the trial.

“Whilst I am confident in our judicial process, I had hoped that the case would have been heard earlier to enable me to resume my managerial responsibilities,” he said. “Through nobody’s fault the case has been delayed.

“I do not want the country’s preparations for the World Cup to be affected, destabilized or jeopardized in any way by the continued interest around this case.”

Giggs played a record 963 times for Man United before retiring in 2014. He also made 64 appearances for Wales and was hired as coach of his national team in January 2018.

Giggs qualified Wales for the most recent European Championship, which was delayed by 12 months to 2021 because of the pandemic. Page led the Welsh in that tournament.

“I have been fortunate enough to have enjoyed some unforgettable moments during my three years in charge of the national team,” Giggs said. “I am proud of my record and will cherish those special times forever.”…

Boxing / Sports

Oleksandr Usyk vs. Anthony Joshua 2: Rematch set to take place in Saudi Arabia in August

The rematch between Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk is finally set. The two will meet on Aug. 20 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia with Usyk’s unified heavyweight titles on the line.

Usyk, the former undisputed cruiserweight champion, moved to heavyweight in October 2019, beating Chazz Witherspoon and Derek Chisora before facing off with Joshua this past September. Despite entering the fight as an underdog, Usyk thoroughly outboxed Joshua over 12 rounds to take the fight by scores of 117-112, 116-112 and 115-113.

Joshua is a former Olympic gold medalist who tore through the pro ranks, winning two world titles while knocking out each of his first 20 pro opponents. In his 21st bout, Joshua beat Joseph Parker to win the WBO title, putting him in control of three of boxing’s four recognized world titles at heavyweight.

Then came a shocking upset knockout at the hands of Andy Ruiz Jr. Joshua would defeat Ruiz in the rematch to regain his titles — coincidentally, that rematch also took place in Saudi Arabia. The winner of the clash could move on to pursue the WBC championship. That title is currently held by Tyson Fury, though Fury indicated his most recent win, a knockout of Dillian Whyte, would be his last fight as a professional boxer, leaving some mystery as to what would happen to the WBC title should Fury decide to actually hang up his gloves.…

F1 / Sports

Lewis Hamilton hopes Mercedes will do less experimenting on F1 race weekends

The seven-time world champion labelled his car “undriveable” and a “disaster” following a difficult Friday practice at the Canadian GP in which he and team-mate George Russell ran vastly different set-ups as Mercedes sought more answers for their troublesome W13 car, which has been plagued by porpoising and bouncing all season following F1’s rules revolution.

Hamilton qualified fourth in the Montreal rain on Saturday and then went one better in the race, claiming the 184th podium of his career but just his second of a difficult 2022 – the first coming at the opening race in Bahrain.

Canada was the first weekend Hamilton had finished ahead of Russell since Bahrain, and the 37-year-old hopes Mercedes will be less extreme in their set-up experiments on his car as he feels being the team’s ‘guinea pig’ has been hindering his weekends.

“We’re just trying to work… we’re just trying to progress as a team. Moving forward, I think we’ll be a little bit more cautious on doing too many experiments as it really does hinder you through the weekend, especially if you only have practice one and two in the dry and don’t get a FP3, for example,” he said.

“I think there are lots of learnings from this weekend and improvements that we can make moving forwards.

“I really hope, moving to Silverstone… it’s such an important race for us and for me and so I just want to be in a battle with these guys.”

Hamilton says his result in Canada afforded him belief that the Silver Arrows could claw the gap back to Red Bull and Ferrari on the fast-flowing Silverstone circuit at next weekend’s British Grand Prix.

He said: “I think we’re better in medium and high-speed corners probably, than we are in the low-speed corners but we have bouncing, so I don’t know how it’s going to be through Copse and all those places.”

Are Hamilton and Merc getting any closer to race wins?

Damon Hill, the 1996 world champion and Sky Sports F1 pundit, thinks there …

Sports / Tennis

Naomi Osaka withdraws from Wimbledon, citing Achilles’ injury

Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka withdrew from Wimbledon, citing a lingering left Achilles’ tendon injury.

This is the second consecutive year Osaka has sat out the tournament. The 24-year-old last participated in the grass-court Grand Slam in 2019, when Yulia Putintseva upset her in the opening round.

Osaka suffered the Achilles’ injury in Madrid in May. On Saturday, she wrote on social media, “My Achilles still isn’t right so I’ll see you next time.” She included a motivational note titled “after the storm comes the calm. “I feel like life keeps dealing cards and you’re never gonna be used to them but it’s how you adapt to uncomfortable situations that really says stuff about your character,” Osaka wrote. “I’ve been repeating mantras a lot in my head recently. I don’t know if it’s to subconsciously help myself through stressful times or to ease my mind into realizing that everything will work out fine as long as I put in the work. Cause what more can you do?” Osaka played through the Achilles’ injury with tape on her foot at the French Open last month. She fell to American Amanda Anisimova, 7-5, 6-4, in the first round. Osaka, who stretched her tendon during that match, said she took a painkiller beforehand.

Afterward, Osaka cited the Women’s Tennis Association removing ranking points from Wimbledon as a reason to skip the tournament. The WTA made that decision after the tournament banned Russian and Belarusian athletes amid the invasion of Ukraine.

Osaka, formerly the world’s top player, is ranked 42nd by the WTA after missing a significant amount of competition over the past few years. Osaka has played 17 matches this season.

“I’m not sure why, but I feel like if I play Wimbledon without points, it’s more like an exhibition,” Osaka told reporters last month. “I know this isn’t true, right? But my brain just feels that way. Whenever I think something is like an exhibition, I just can’t go at it 100 percent. I didn’t even make my decision yet, but I’m

…
Football / Sports

Rudiger signs four-year contract with Real Madrid

Antonio Rudiger has signed a contract with Real Madrid until 2026 after undergoing a medical with the club on Tuesday.

The German center-back, whose contract with Chelsea expires in June, completed the deal via his agents with Real Madrid, and will arrive at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on a free transfer.

However, Rudiger‘s move to Real Madrid is not yet official, with the club expected to make an announcement after the Champions League final in Paris on May 28.

It will most likely be the following week as it is intended to be made before the player starts training with the German national team for the Nations League.

Real Madrid and Rudiger had already reached an agreement, but only a few details were still to be finalized, and that happened on Tuesday.

The center-back was at one point distanced from Los Blancos due to his high salary demands, but the two parties resumed negotiations after the center-back relented on his salary demands and a deal was reached.

Carlo Ancelotti also insisted on signing Rudiger as it gives him more options in defence.

With the German and Militao as center-backs, David Alaba can also play at left-back, a position he already occupied at Bayern Munich.…

Sports / Tennis

‘Rafael Nadal moved in front, and it was all gone,’ top-10 star recalls

Beating Rafael Nadal is never easy, especially when he finds the rhythm in the opening games. Andrey Rublev had a chance to experience that in their 2020 ATP Finals clash, losing 6-3, 6-4 in an hour and 17 minutes. The Russian had a breakthrough run that year, winning the Tour-leading five ATP titles and scoring 41 victories in a reduced season.

The Moscow native cracked the top-10 and secured the ATP Finals debut thanks to three consecutive ATP 500 titles after the season’s restart and back-to-back Major quarter-finals in New York and Paris! Eager to show his best tennis on the big scene, Andrey played his first ATP Finals match against the 20-time Major champion Rafael Nadal and suffered a 6-3, 6-4 loss in under 80 minutes.

Rublev admitted he dealt with massive pressure against his idol, eager to show his best tennis but failing to hide emotions and turn them into more reliable tennis. The Russian felt to bring the desired level against Rafa, struggling in every segment, especially on the return.

Nadal had the upper hand from start to finish, losing 12 points in ten service games and never experiencing trouble. Returning Andrey’s serves aggressively, Rafa grabbed a single break in each set to claim the 19th ATP Finals victory and make the campaign’s strong start.

The more experienced player hit 16 winners and 11 unforced errors, leaving the Russian with 19 winners and 23 mistakes.

Rublev knew he had to control his emotions to stand a chance vs. Rafael Nadal.

Andrey failed to return almost 40% of Rafa’s serves and sprayed too many errors in attempts to impose his strokes and move the opponent from the comfort zone.

Nadal had a significant 44-28 lead in the shortest rallies up to four strokes, determined to stay aggressive and return Rublev’s second serves from inside the court. The encounter kicked off with five commanding holds on both sides before Rafa moved 4-2 up following Andrey’s forehand error.

A service winner sent Nadal 5-2 in front, and he landed three …

Boxing / Sports

WBC, IBF, WBO Light Heavyweight Title Fight Betting Preview: Artur Beterbiev vs. Joe Smith Jr.

Three of the four light heavyweight titles will be on the line inside Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater on Saturday night.

Artur Beterbiev (-800) is a massive favorite at SI Sportsbook going into this bout against Joe Smith Jr. (+560). Beterbiev is one the most dangerous light heavyweights in recent memory, going 17-0 with a 100% win-to-knockout ratio.

Smith (28-3, 22 KOs), his opponent, has been very successful as of late, winning four straight since his last loss against WBA light heavyweight champion Dimtry Bivol.

With a possible unification fight with Bivol looming for the winner, the stakes are extremely high for both boxers. A Beterbiev loss would be an upset for the ages, while a Smith loss would drop him to a contender on the bad side of title considerations.

Date: Saturday Jun 18, 2022
Location: Hulu Theater at MSG | New York, NY
Main Card: 9 p.m. ET
Main Event ring walks (approx.): 11 p.m. ET

Card

Jahyae Brown vs Keane McMahon – Super welterweight
Wendy Toussaint vs Asina Byfield – Super welterweight
Robeisy Ramirez vs. Abraham Nova – Featherweight
Artur Beterbiev (-800) vs. Joe Smith Jr. (+560) – WBC, IBF, and WBO light heavyweight titles

While always placing a bet on the underdog in a title fight can be enticing, the odds in this one are just way too much for Smith to overcome.

I expect Beterbiev to come out with a controlled pace and look to cut off the ring and keep Smith on the edges, peppering him with jabs and calculating Smith’s timing.

As the fight enters the mid-to-later rounds Beterbiev will have just done too much to break down Smith in the early rounds and I expect him to find an opportunity to get a stoppage somewhere in the 8-10 rounds.…

Football / Sports

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