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The Basketball World Cup started Friday and Nikola Vucevic got off to a fast start

David Haye believes the smoothest and possibly only route to an undisputed world heavyweight title fight is by Daniel Dubois pulling off a major upset against Oleksandr Usyk this weekend. Usyk, the WBA, IBF and WBO champion, will take on mandatory challenger Dubois in Wroclaw, Poland, on Saturday after negotiations for a showdown against WBC belt holder Tyson Fury broke down earlier this year. Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder were also at an impasse when they held the major world titles, with Lennox Lewis the last recognised undisputed champion in the division nearly a quarter of a century ago. Competing interests have often got in the way, but Haye pointed out Dubois and Fury are both represented by Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions and argued a fight between the duo should be simpler to make. Haye told the PA news agency: “It feels like we’ve had three or four opportunities where the fighters with the belts could have come together and done a deal. For whatever reason, it hasn’t materialised. “We’re in a position where if Dubois wins on Saturday night, one promotional entity holds the champions of all of the belts – there would never be an easier time, politically, to make the undisputed fight. “If Usyk wins, is Tyson Fury ever going to fight Usyk? I don’t know. For one reason or another, it doesn’t seem like it’s gelling. If it hasn’t happened by now, is it going to happen? Probably not. “We want to know who’s number one. If Dubois wins then that makes it possible and the fight fans finally, after all of these years, will have one champion with all of the belts.” Haye recognises Dubois has a mountainous challenge ahead of him, with Usyk a prohibitive favourite to retain his world titles and extend his unblemished professional record to 21 wins from as many bouts. Usyk’s dazzling footwork and blurring hand speed from a southpaw stance has led to many suggesting the heavy-handed Dubois has just a puncher’s chance despite having height and weight advantages. However, Haye feels Dubois (19-1, 18 knockouts) has nothing to lose and that his learning curves in a loss to Joe Joyce in 2020 and having to get up off the canvas three times before stopping the lightly-regarded Kevin Lerena last December are hugely beneficial for the Londoner’s chances heading into this weekend. Haye, who alongside Usyk and Evander Holyfield are the only fighters to have won world cruiserweight and heavyweight titles, added: “I like the fact there’s no pressure on Dubois whatsoever. “He’s got everything to gain. Nobody is expecting him to be able to cause an upset here. He has the firepower, all he needs is one punch, one clean shot. “He had a very interesting fight against Kevin Lerena where he was put down early from a southpaw who was a former cruiserweight. “He understands that he’s bigger and stronger but he can be hurt, that was the best thing for him because it gives him the reality of what he’s putting himself in [when he takes on Usyk]. “It looks from the outside like a mission impossible but I’m liking what I’m hearing from him – he’s talking about making it rough and uncomfortable for Usyk and that’s exactly what he needs to do. “He may get dropped or hurt or some facial damage but he’s going to need to work through that to get to the promised land if he wants an opportunity to seriously gatecrash the heavyweight division.” Watch Usyk v Dubois exclusively live on TNT Sports Box Office on Saturday 26 August. Learn more at www.tntsports.co.uk/boxoffice Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Underdog Daniel Dubois looks back in bid to take big step forward Iain Henderson wants Ireland team-mates to prove they deserve World Cup spot Eddie Howe urges Bruno Guimaraes to learn from social media criticism

British underdog Daniel Dubois will draw inspiration from Tyson Fury when he faces world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday night. Dubois (19-1, 18 knockouts) will walk out at Tarczynski Arena in front of around 43,000 spectators this weekend, with the majority inside the Polish venue supporting Ukrainian hero Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs) given many Ukraine natives have resided in Poland since Russia’s invasion of their country last year. While Dubois, 25, can expect a hostile ring walk for his first world title fight, his promoter Frank Warren has been here before. It was Warren and his Queensberry Promotions company that made the match-up between Fury and Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, which ended with the British heavyweight producing an enormous upset in Germany to claim the WBA, IBF and WBO belts in remarkable fashion. That was Fury’s maiden world title bout and few gave him a chance, but he pulled off a shock victory on points in Dusseldorf and stablemate Dubois is now dreaming of doing the same in Wroclaw. “All the great fighters had to do it. Before they were champions, people doubted them and had a lot of things to say,” Dubois told the PA news agency. “Boxing is made up of opinions so I never take it to heart or let it break me. I am ready to go. Ready to go out there and prove what I need to do. “Tyson is a good example. Look at what he has done and gone on to achieve now. I just need to get the prayers going and hopefully the big man upstairs hears me.” Saturday’s show is the start of a busy period for Warren and Queensberry Promotions, with a rematch between Joe Joyce and China’s Zhilei Zhang scheduled on 23 September at Wembley Arena. Meanwhile, Fury is due to step in the ring to take on mixed martial arts fighter Francis Ngannou in a boxing contest on 28 October in Saudi Arabia, but the Briton’s WBC heavyweight title will not be at stake. A successful couple of months for Warren’s fighters could result in an in-house unification bout at the start of 2024. Warren told PA: “Every big heavyweight fight, our fighters are involved in. Regarding Tyson’s future, it all depends on what happens on 26 August, so it is an interesting time for the heavyweight decision. “We’ve seen the odds upset and I just feel it is Daniel’s time. I know he has all the equipment to do it, he can punch from both hands, he has a great jab, good speed and footwork. It will all be about his temperament and I believe his temperament will see him through. “No one gave Tyson a chance and over the years we’ve done a few of those fights, so I hope it is the case again. At the end of the day, Daniel has got a massive opportunity and if it comes out right for him, it would be brilliant.” Plenty has been thrown at Dubois since the fight was confirmed with his age and lack of experience cited as big weaknesses, while the bookmakers have him as a huge outsider. The Londoner has fought 20 times since he turned professional in 2017 but notably took a knee which allowed himself to be counted out in the 10th round of a clash with Joyce three years ago due to a grotesquely swollen left eye. Dubois received a barrage of criticism for ‘quitting’ from current and former boxers. It was later revealed he suffered a broken orbital bone and nerve damage around his eye in addition to retinal bleeding. After rebuilding his career in America, Dubois now enters his first world title fight at the age of 25 but with more heavyweight bouts than Usyk and a secret weapon in new trainer Don Charles, who was in Derek Chisora’s corner when the Briton pushed Usyk all the way at Wembley Arena in 2020. Dubois added: “I have been boxing for most of my life so that [age] argument is out of the window. I have the experience and I need to be a veteran in this fight. “I have to bully him. I have to go in there and be the bully. Be the bully and shake him up. Yeah, Don will be putting in things that I am not even aware of style-wise and coach-wise. He has a lot of passion and that is what you need. “You need the bully-the-bull type mentality to go in there and f*** s*** up, as they say. That is what we need to do.”

The former girlfriend of an NFL football player has offered to pay the fines of anyone who injures him. Getting on the wrong side of an ex-partner is never fun, but when that ex is offering to cover your rivals’ fines for intentionally injuring you in your sport, you know you’re on dangerous ground. Instagram model Destani, on Instagram as @nee.ariiii, is the former girlfriend of Miami Dolphins cornerback Eli Apple and has offered up the money to any other players who injure him on the field and face fines. She made the comment on her Instagram story, urging other players to go after her “baby dad”, targeting the knees and hamstrings. She wrote: “If you play against my baby dad this season, please go for the knees, maybe a hammy. No.33 for the Dolphins. I'll gladly Zelle you back any fines.” According to Boardroom, players can face a $15,914 fine for an illegal blindside block, while a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct can cost them $13,261. It’s not the first time Apple has been involved in controversy in his footballing career. The player is fairly notorious among NFL fans for gameday antics and feuding with other players on social media. One of Apple’s ongoing social media feuds was with Tyreke Hill, who is now his teammate at Miami Dolphins. When the team signed Apple, Hill said: “Now, my looking from it is now I get to embarrass him every day.” Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

A defiant Luis Rubiales has said he will not resign as president of the Spanish football federation despite facing widespread criticism and disciplinary proceedings over his behaviour at last Sunday’s Women’s World Cup final. The 46-year-old kissed midfielder Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the trophy and medals presentation after Spain’s victory over England in Sydney. He had earlier grabbed his crotch in celebration while stood metres away from Spain’s Queen Letizia and her teenage daughter in the stadium’s VIP area. Football’s world governing body FIFA opened disciplinary proceedings against Rubiales on Thursday over his conduct, but he told an extraordinary general assembly of Spain’s football federation, the RFEF, on Friday, that he would not step down. “I will not resign,” he said multiple times. “I apologise for my mistakes. I’m going to continue fighting as my parents and my coaches taught me. Those who know me, know that we are going to get to the end.” Rubiales issued an apology via video message on Monday, but Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sanchez described that as “insufficient”. Hermoso’s interests in the case are being managed by the FUTPRO union, which expressed its “firm and resounding condemnation” for behaviour “which violates the dignity of women” in its own statement issued on Wednesday. Rubiales is a member of UEFA’s ruling executive committee and a vice-president of European football’s governing body, and is also leading a Spanish bid to co-host the 2030 men’s World Cup finals. FIFA Congress is expected to appoint the hosts of the centenary tournament late next year. FIFA, in opening proceedings against Rubiales on Thursday, said it remained committed to “respecting the integrity of all individuals, and strongly condemns any behaviour to the contrary”. It said Rubiales’ conduct may constitute violations of article 13 paragraphs one and two of the FIFA disciplinary code. That section of the code covers “offensive behaviour and violations of the principles of fair play”. The code cites examples of behaviour which could lead to disciplinary measures being taken, including “insulting a natural or legal person in any way, especially by using offensive gestures, signs or language” and “behaving in a way that brings the sport of football and/or FIFA into disrepute”. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Underdog Daniel Dubois looks back in a bid to take a big step forward Iain Henderson wants Ireland team-mates to prove they deserve World Cup spot Eddie Howe urges Bruno Guimaraes to learn from social media criticism

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has urged midfielder Bruno Guimaraes to learn a lesson after hitting back at “stupid” criticism on social media. The 25-year-old Brazil international has become something of a cult hero at St James’ Park since his £35million arrival from Lyon in January last year and has established an online following with his regular posts. However, he felt moved to mount a staunch defence of his team after Saturday evening’s 1-0 defeat at Manchester City, who he described as “maybe one of the best teams in the world”, accusing some detractors of having “short stupid memories” in a message since deleted. Asked about Guimaraes’ response, head coach Howe said: “I’m certainly not going to criticise the supporters here. I think it’s more a lesson for us. “I choose not to be on social media for that exact reason, because I want a clear thought process. I don’t want to pollute my thoughts with things that I read and avoid certain situations, so I take myself out of that environment. “The players can choose to be on it, that’s absolutely fine because that’s their individual choice, but I think it’s important that we don’t overly react emotionally to certain things. “Now, Bruno is a very emotional person and I think you’ve seen on the pitch, it’s so positive for us, that emotion. He uses it brilliantly, he has used it brilliantly to not just perform well, but build a feeling with the supporters because I think the supporters see how much it means to him. It's all positive in terms of that feeling that Bruno has, but this is just maybe a little lesson for him. Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe “It’s all positive in terms of that feeling that Bruno has, but this is just maybe a little lesson for him.” Howe admitted that the advent of social media has brought a new element to the lives of players which can have an impact, both positively and negatively. Asked how that can be managed, he said: “A lot of the young players now will have been on social media all of their lives or from a certain age, so it just becomes part of their daily routines, potentially, to look and to read and to be in that world. “Once you’re in it, it’s slightly more difficult to come away from it, whereas when I was growing up, it wasn’t there.” Guimaraes and his team-mates will hope to do their talking on the pitch on Sunday, when they return to action against Liverpool, the only side to beat them home and away in last season’s Premier League. Reds boss Jurgen Klopp has aimed a series of barbs at the newly-enriched Tyneside club and, asked if he had a relationship with the German, Howe said: “I don’t really have a relationship with any manager. “I’m competing against them, I find it very difficult to have personal relationships with competitors. “I respect Jurgen a lot. I think he’s done an incredible job. He’s an unbelievable football manager, but I draw the line at friendships because they don’t exist for me.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Steve Borthwick has work to do – England v Fiji talking points He’s essential to Liverpool: Jurgen Klopp dismisses Mohamed Salah transfer talk Football rumours: Arsenal and Tottenham eye Ivan Toney once betting ban ends

Spanish soccer chief Luis Rubiales has defiantly refused to resign from his position as Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president after a week of fierce criticism, after video showed him placing an unwanted kiss on a star player of Spain's winning World Cup team.

Tyson Fury's voice before a life-altering sparring accident has shocked fans, after the boxer admitted his signature raspy sound was a result of what happened. The heavyweight champion previously spoke about how the punch to the throat caused a blood clot which permanently altered his voice. "Ever since then, I now sound like my dad", he joked as he told the story on Hits Radio recently. In the clip, taken from his first TV interview back in 2008, Fury had no huskiness to his voice at all. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

Two weeks after she was in space with her mum, Ana Mayers is going back to university in Scotland.

Penn State sophomore Drew Allar might be the most important player in collefge football

The Big 12 Conference is bigger than ever this season with 14 teams

The Sun Belt Conference enters the season with stability and momentum, both which give it a strong case to be the top Group of Five football conference this season