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Once again, Errol Spence Jr and Terence Crawford have agreed to fight. Once again, fans are crossing their fingers. The problem is that other key figures in this deal, of anxious dispositions and with sweaty hands hidden behind their backs, may be doing the same. Spence vs Crawford, or Crawford vs Spence, has proven to be one of the most elusive fights of a generation. Two champions, both alike in stature, in unfair America, where we lay our scene, a pair of star-crossed southpaws take this bout... yet they have done so before, and still the contest eluded the sport’s devotees. It is a bout that was first discussed in 2018, perhaps earlier, and one that seemed to be within grasp last autumn. Terms were agreed, fans were told, over a November meeting between the welterweight champions – both unbeaten and both undeterred by the prospect of losing their gold or records. Because that is the problem. In these situations, it is rarely the fault of the competitors that these bouts fall through; it is never a fear from the fighters that derails negotiations. Pride, perhaps, plays a decisive and often disappointing role, but not fear. That is for the men in suits, not those wearing 8oz gloves. That is why, when news emerged on Wednesday that unified champion Spence (28-0, 22 knockouts) and WBO champion Crawford (39-0, 30 KOs) had agreed terms over a 29 July clash in Las Vegas, excitement was premature. It was, and is, understandable, but premature nevertheless. When Spence, 33, and Crawford, 35, agreed terms last year, the latter instead went on to box David Avanesyan, stopping the Armenian in December. Meanwhile, Spence has not fought since a TKO win over Yordenis Ugas 13 months ago. Both Spence and Crawford have struggled for activity in recent times, and both are slowly approaching the end of their primes. There is, of course, reason to hope – a few reasons, in fact. Over the course of the last month, we have seen two match-ups to satisfy boxing purists and suck in casual viewers, and neither fight should be taken for granted. In April, after years of baying from fans and the fighters themselves, lightweights Ryan Garcia and Gervonta “Tank” Davis squared off in a catchweight contest. Last week, Devin Haney defended his undisputed lightweight titles against former unified champion Vasiliy Lomachenko in a dynamic contest with a dramatic conclusion. All the while, the heavyweights are held up, and the obstructive factors in negotiations between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are pointers as to why Spence-Crawford will not be ‘on’ until the first bell rings. In the case of Fury and Usyk, a purse split (unfair as it was on the Ukrainian) was agreed, as was a rematch clause, only for the deal to dissolve due to a different dispute: one around the purse split in the rematch clause​. It would have been funny, had it not been so farcical. Errol Spence Jr Terence Crawford Age 32 35 Record 28-0 (22 KOs) 39-0 (30 KOs) Stance Southpaw Southpaw Titles WBC, WBA, IBF welterweight belts WBO welterweight belt (Formerly WBO lightweight belt; WBC, WBO, WBA [Super], IBF light-welterweight belts) Notable wins Shawn Porter, Mikey Garcia, Carlos Ocampo, Kell Brook Shawn Porter, Jose Benavidez Jr, Kell Brook, Amir Khan So, with reports suggesting that this Spence-Crawford deal contains a rematch clause for both fighters, and that a trilogy is likely in the case of a 1-1 scoreline by the end of 2023, there is reason for hesitancy. Such a deal contains enough moving parts to concern even the most enraptured observer. The prospect of a trilogy also threatens to hold up the division, though if the fights deliver in the way that fans have long hoped, few will mind besides any stranded contenders themselves. The point here is not to suggest that Spence-Crawford will not in fact come to pass; as of this week, it looks likelier than ever that the Americans will share a ring at long last. Last year, Spence shared a cartoon of himself imagined as a shark, knocking on the locker room door of Crawford; on Wednesday, Crawford shared an illustration of himself as a god of the tides, carrying a shark on his trident. An official announcement may even be impending. However, boxing fans have been burnt enough times that they should exercise caution until the moment the bell rings, and one of the most-anticipated fights of a generation finally begins. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Chris Eubank Jr and Liam Smith rematch postponed for second time ‘Daylight robbery’: Vasiliy Lomachenko’s team plan to appeal Devin Haney defeat Katie Taylor’s long reign as boxing queen over despite heroic last stand Oleksandr Usyk promoter provides major update on Daniel Dubois fight Deontay Wilder claims Oleksandr Usyk is ‘a lot afraid’ of heavyweight clash Katie Taylor’s long reign as boxing queen over despite heroic last stand

Texas lawmakers have issued 20 articles of impeachment against state Attorney General Ken Paxton, ranging from bribery to abuse of public trust as state Republicans surged toward a swift and sudden vote that could remove him from office

The denials came from all angles on media day in Monaco. Speculation that Lewis Hamilton could move to Ferrari next year, in a £40m deal no less, has ramped up this week but was quickly quashed on Thursday by both Hamilton and Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur. In fact, Hamilton went further, revealing his representatives are “almost there” in agreeing a new deal with Mercedes. The 38-year-old’s current contract with the Silver Arrows – where he has won six of his seven world titles since joining in an inspired decision a decade ago – expires at the end of this season. Despite the wait, the noise from both the Brit and team boss Toto Wolff has been that an extension is a simple inevitability. Not a case of if, but when. “My team is working closely behind the scenes with Toto and we are almost at the end of having a contract ready,” Hamilton stated, affirmatively. These fresh revelations come – coincidentally? – ahead of a huge fortnight for the Brackley-based team. Highly-anticipated upgrades have been long in the making, ever since Wolff finally dismissed the no-sidepod philosophy at the season opener in Bahrain. While the unique streets of Monaco this weekend, due to last week’s cancellation of the race in Imola, represent a somewhat unideal debut for new sidepods, a new floor and a new front suspension, next week in Barcelona will give a genuine representation of any progress made. And, more pertinently, how much the gap is reduced to Red Bull, presently a good distance down the road. Hamilton is, undeniably, reaching the twilight of his career with a record-breaking eighth world championship further away than ever. Links to Ferrari have popped up throughout his 16 years in the sport and Hamilton himself has spoken with confusion, at times, as to why a move has never materialised. The sport’s most prestigious team working in tandem with the sport’s joint-most successful driver? Not now, it seems. But if not now… when? Previous flirtations have been just that. There was no need for Hamilton to broaden his horizons when sat comfortably on his throne. Mercedes were the top dogs for eight years, with Hamilton personally collecting the season gong six times and missing out in the final race twice. Ferrari, meanwhile, have not won a drivers’ title since Hamilton was pipped as a rookie by Kimi Räikkönen way back in 2007. However, now the landscape of the sport is different. Red Bull are the clear frontrunners – perhaps to a level that even surpasses the Mercedes juggernaut. Ferrari and Mercedes are scrapping away to catch up, with Aston Martin this year joining the party. The parallels between now and 11 years ago, when Hamilton shocked the paddock by ditching his boyhood McLaren team to join Mercedes, are comparable. The Brit, as McLaren started their downward spiral, took a Niki Lauda-directed gamble to join the Silver Arrows. “Isn’t that not a bit like moving from Manchester United to West Ham?” asked a jovial Jeremy Clarkson on Hamilton’s second appearance on Top Gear, in 2012. Yet after a season of transition, Hamilton won six world championships in seven years – a streak only split by team-mate Nico Rosberg. His instinct to change paths was justified. To jump at something new. To break with convention. While Ferrari are perhaps on a par with Mercedes currently, they have shown greater potential than their rivals in this new ground-effect era. A 2022 campaign that started with such promise fell away, but the fundamentals of the car seem present. Converting qualifying pace to Sundays seem their current predicament. Hamilton shifting to Maranello next year – which now seems improbable – should not be as unfeasible as it may seem. It would be a plunge in the dark, for sure. A more comfortable decision would be to trust the process at Mercedes, for sure. But these upgrades and their effectiveness in Monaco and Spain, and by extension in Canada, Austria and Silverstone thereafter, will be the clincher. It just depends which way. The likelihood is that improvement will be made, triggering Hamilton signing on the silver dotted line. The man himself has said as much. But until such transformations are made, the driver who made his name by boldly switching sides should not rule out the prancing horse. Has he, perhaps, spoken a little too soon? Not least because, should Ferrari speed away from Mercedes in the coming months, the underlying taste of what if would deny him, and us, of a concluding career narrative as dazzling as it now seems fantasy. Read More Lewis Hamilton provides Mercedes contract latest amid Ferrari links Ferrari boss gives Lewis Hamilton update after reports of shock move Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes are the biggest losers from Imola Grand Prix cancellation F1 Monaco Grand Prix: Why is practice no longer on a Thursday? Bernie Ecclestone would be surprised if Lewis Hamilton wanted to leave Mercedes

An Indianapolis doctor who publicly revealed she provided abortion services to a 10-year-old Ohio rape victim last year has been reprimanded and fined by Indiana's medical licensing board after it determined the disclosure violated federal and state patient privacy laws.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan aims to extend his rule into a third decade in an election on Sunday,

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UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt says he’s in favor of higher interest rates to tackle inflation,

Elon Musk’s brain chip company Neuralink said on Thursday that it now has regulatory approval in the US to test its implants in human subjects. Neuralink has been building chips to be implanted into the skull for a brain-computer interface, claiming their development has the potential to help restore vision in the blind, and even help paralysed people walk again. While Mr Musk has said on several occasions since 2019 that the company is ready to go for experiments in humans to treat paralysis and blindness, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had however rejected proposals by the company to begin human clinical trials. For instance, in early 2022, when Neuralink applied for human testing, the FDA rejected the proposal saying there were “dozens of issues the company must address”. These issues flagged by the FDA included the use of lithium batteries in Neuralink’s device and the likelihood of the implant’s wires interfering with the brain. The federal agency also expressed concerns about whether the firm’s implants can be removed without causing brain damage. Neuralink has also come under the scanner of at least one US government probe after animal rights watchdogs accused the firm of “inadequate care” of its research monkeys. Reuters previously reported that the brain chip company killed about 1,500 animals, including over 280 sheep, pigs and monkeys since 2018. The US Department of Agriculture also began investigating Neuralink’s potential violations of the Animal Welfare Act. Responding to the animal abuse complaints, the company said in a blogpost that it was “absolutely committed to working with animals in the most humane and ethical way possible”. “The use of every animal was extensively planned and considered to balance scientific discovery with the ethical use of animals,” it said. In a tweet in November last year, Mr Musk said he was confident that Neuralink’s device was “ready for humans”, adding that the timing for beginning human trials was a “function of working through the FDA approval process”. “We want to be extremely careful and certain that it will work well before putting a device into a human but we’ve submitted I think most of our paperwork to the FDA and probably in about six months we should be able to upload Neuralink in a human,” the Tesla and SpaceX chief said. On Thursday, the company said it has finally received approval from the federal agency to begin trials in humans. “We are excited to share that we have received the FDA’s approval to launch our first-in-human clinical study!” the brain chip company said. The FDA approval “represents an important first step that will one day allow our technology to help many people”, Neuralink said, adding that it would soon announce more information on the recruitment of people for clinical trials. FDA hasn’t immediately responded to The Independent‘s queries on the Neuralink approval claim. Read More What is superintelligence? How AI could replace humans as the dominant lifeform on Earth Elon Musk’s Neuralink probed over shipment of ‘contaminated’ devices from ‘infected’ monkey brains When sci-fi becomes reality: could brain-machine interfaces be right around the corner?

Jose Mourinho has claimed Tottenham are the only one of his former clubs to which he does not feel any connection. The Portuguese, 60, spent 17 months at Spurs but was sacked by chairman Daniel Levy in April 2021 just a week before they were to play Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final. Mourinho had previously managed Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Manchester United, and has subsequently taken charge at Roma, winning the Europa Conference League and leading them to the final of this season’s Europa League, where they play Sevilla next Wednesday. Speaking ahead of that fixture, Mourinho told a press conference: “I hope the Tottenham fans don’t get me wrong but the only club in my career where I don’t have still a deep feeling for is Tottenham. “Probably because the stadium was empty, Covid time. Probably because Mr Levy didn’t let me win a final and win a trophy.” Mourinho, who has been linked with a move to Paris St Germain this summer, was responding to a question about his future with Roma. “We will be connected forever, like I am with all my previous clubs, apart from Mr Levy’s club,” he said. “It’s the only one, so after that – Porto, Chelsea, Inter, Real Madrid, Manchester United – all the clubs I feel a connection. Maybe people (will say) you cannot love every club – yes, I love every club.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live