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At the end of this week, it is likely that a dozen or more heavyweights will officially be announced as heading back to Saudi Arabia for a show on 23 December. The date had been booked and held for the full unification fight between Oleksandr Usyk, who holds three belts, and Tyson Fury, who has one, but Francis Ngannou ruined the plan two weeks ago when he came close to beating Fury. In the heavyweight business, all problems can be solved with a bit of cash, some willingness and a lot of late-night ducking and diving; this week there are planned announcements for a lot of fights. Fury vs Usyk has been salvaged and moved to 2024, with a new date agreed, and further agreements reached. It’s on, don’t panic. The real fun is the December date, a night that the new Saudi boxing backers had set in stone as part of their festival of art, culture and sport. The fight was the crowning glory of Riyadh Season (an annual winter festival); it was also a clear sign that Saudi money could deliver a fight that traditional boxing money and deal-brokering had so miserably failed to do. Fury, his face bruised and his vast ego dented, had been told, in the immediate aftermath of the brawl with Ngannou, that he had a commitment to return and fight Usyk in December; a day before the 10-round win over Ngannou, in the middle of the circus revelry, Fury had threatened legal action if Usyk refused to fight on the 23rd. The morning after the Ngannou fight, it was Usyk’s turn to warn Fury of his contractual obligation. Luckily, a sensible solution was found, the date shifted to February and a heavyweight bonanza was planned to replace the unification fight. In the past few days, a dozen or more fights have been rumoured for the late December date; a man called Martin Bakole, who fought on the undercard of the Fury-Ngannou fight, has been linked with four or five of the world’s top heavyweights. Bakole is acknowledged as the heavyweight nobody wants to fight; Bakole, obviously, would fight anybody. Even Anthony Joshua is now in the mix, bound it seems for Saudi on 23 December, and he has been linked with Otto Wallin. That would be a very good fight. Perhaps the most outlandish name to circulate in the past few days is former world heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder. The American lost twice to Fury in world title fights, has not fought since October 2022, and recently announced that he was switching codes to MMA, but now it seems he is part of the attraction for December. A fight with Bakole was mentioned and a fight against a former world champion, Joseph Parker. Meanwhile, Wilder and Joshua have been close to agreeing a deal to fight for a long, long time. London’s Daniel Dubois, who was stopped by Usyk in a world title fight in the summer, is also one of the names doing the rounds. Dubois has been linked with Parker and one-time drug cheat Jarrell Baby Miller. There are so many Dubois rumours that it would be odd if his name was left off the starting line-up for the December show. Dubois and Parker would be a fine fight; Parker lost his world heavyweight title to Joshua in 2018, has been in big fights since then and was a good winner last month in Saudi Arabia. A fight between Parker and Wilder would certainly be interesting. Parker is one of heavyweight boxing’s treasures, a decent man with a proven history of leaving everything in the ring; Wilder has dropped, stopped or knocked out 42 of the 43 men he has beaten. Wilder on the Saudi Christmas bill would inevitably be entertaining. There is even bold talk that Ngannou, the man who caused all the uncertainty, guesswork and rumours, might fight on the mystery night. The former UFC heavyweight champion wants a rematch with Fury but is prepared to let the unification fight take place first. There is a suggestion that Derek Del Boy Chisora, who lost a world title fight to Fury last December, is preparing to restore boxing’s pride and fight Ngannou. The close loss to Fury was Ngannou’s first fight in a boxing ring. Ngannou is not fighting on the 23 December bill – it is too soon. We only have this crazy situation because Ngannou, a total novice, sent Fury tumbling, boxed his ears off at times, pushed him all over the ring and caused all the riotous, ring rumours to start. It is a grand circus of confusion and laughter; heavyweights are understandably desperate to get their name on the bill. It is boxing’s greatest Christmas gift. There is also a cameo planned by light-heavyweight world champion Dmitry Bivol. The boxing clock is ticking, camps need to be arranged, sparring partners hired and travel plans sorted. There will be a heavyweight show this December in Riyadh, and hopefully all the large pieces will fall into place later this week. The confirmation of a new date for the Usyk vs Fury fight is just part of the carnival. This might just be a big week for heavyweight boxing. Read More Eddie Hearn makes surprising revelation about Anthony Joshua coach Tyson Fury promoter Frank Warren promises ‘historical’ fight card on 23 December Oleksandr Usyk offers new date for Tyson Fury fight Anthony Joshua teases Tyson Fury fight during interview with Louis Theroux Dana White reacts to Francis Ngannou’s stunning performance vs Tyson Fury Boxer ‘swallowed wasp’ during knockout win on Fury vs Ngannou undercard

Breece Hall bullied his way into the end zone during the second quarter Sunday night, and it appeared the New York Jets’ touchdown drought was over

The Los Angeles Lakers overcame LeBron James’ injury absence for a 116-110 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers Anthony Davis had 30 points and 13 rebounds, and Rui Hachimura scored eight of his 19 points in the final 3:43

The long group stage of the Cricket World Cup is over and four teams remain in the running for the title

Host India, five-time champion Australia and long-time title contenders South Africa and New Zealand have navigated the five-week first phase of the Cricket World Cup to reach the semifinals

Josh Jacobs rushed for 116 yards, Aidan O’Connell connected with fellow rookie Michael Mayer for the game’s only touchdown, and the Las Vegas Raiders improved to 2-0 under interim coach Antonio Pierce, beating the New York Jets 16-12

Football will pay tribute to one of its biggest stars on Monday as the game bids farewell to Sir Bobby Charlton. Fans and members of the public have been invited to play their part in a celebration of the World Cup-winner’s life and glittering career before a private funeral service at Manchester Cathedral. Thousands are expected to line the streets as the funeral cortege arrives at Old Trafford, where he is commemorated along with former team-mates Denis Law and George Best in the “United Trinity” statue, from Chester Road at around 1.30pm. The cortege will pass through a guard of honour comprising members of the club’s Under-18 and Under-21 squads and the statue before setting off for the cathedral via the A56, Trinity Way, Chapel Street and Victoria Bridge. Around 1,000 invited guests, including Sir Alex Ferguson, members of the club’s 1968 European Cup-winning team, players from the current first-team squad and leading sporting figures, are expected to attend the service, which is scheduled to start at 2pm and will be led by Canon Nigel Ashworth. The ceremony, which will not be filmed or broadcast, will include eulogies and tributes from former United chief executive David Gill, former Manchester United Foundation chief executive John Shiels and a personal tribute from Charlton’s family. Hymns will include Abide With Me, which is traditionally sung before the FA Cup final, Jerusalem and a rendition of How Great Thou Art by opera singer Russell Watson. The Charlton family and Manchester United would like to thank everyone for the outpouring of love and respect towards Sir Bobby Manchester United statement A United statement read: “It is expected that up to 1,000 guests will attend the cathedral to pay their respects to Sir Bobby and celebrate his incredible life as a husband, father, grandfather and, of course, as one of the finest footballers this country has ever produced. “The Charlton family and Manchester United would like to thank everyone for the outpouring of love and respect towards Sir Bobby.” The family has requested donations in lieu of flowers to a series of charities close to Charlton’s heart, the Sir Bobby Charlton Foundation, the Children’s Adventure Farm Trust, the Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer’s UK. The Ashington-born midfielder, who made 758 appearances and scored 249 goals for the Red Devils in a glittering 17-year playing career, died at the age of 86 last month. He survived the 1958 Munich Air Disaster which claimed the lives of eight of his fellow Busby Babes and went on to win the World Cup with England in 1966 alongside older brother Jack and the European Cup with United two years later. Charlton returned to the club with which he had made his name as a director in 1984 and continued to serve both it and football in general as a much-admired ambassador until his latter years. His stature in the game was reflected in the tributes which poured in after the news of his death was announced. Ferguson, who guided the club back to the pinnacle of European football under his watchful gaze, described him as a “tower of strength” during his 26-year spell at the helm. In a eulogy published in the matchday programme ahead of the derby against Manchester City, Ferguson wrote: “It’s no surprise to me that we’ve seen tributes to Sir Bobby from everywhere in the world, on every TV channel and in every newspaper, because he was without question the greatest English player of all time. “People loved him because of all those thunderbolt goals, but it was more than that. My dad used to say that humility in success is a sign of greatness, and that was Bobby. “He never used to boast about his own achievements; it was always about the team and the club.”

Anthony Edwards scored 33 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves overpowered the Golden State Warriors 116-110 for their sixth straight victory

Frank Vatrano scored twice in the first period and the Anaheim Ducks beat the San Jose Sharks 4-1

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points, Jalen Williams had 31 and the Oklahoma City Thunder used a big fourth quarter to beat the Phoenix Suns 111-99 on Sunday night

Alexis Lafreniere’s second goal of the game tied it with 11 seconds left in regulation, and then he had the only scored in the shootout as the New York Rangers beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3

The Los Angeles Chargers’ embattled and embarrassed defense reached new lows in Sunday’s 41-38 loss to the Detroit Lions