List of All Articles with Tag 'sports'

Memphis Grizzlies forward Kenneth Lofton Jr. is among several undrafted players making an impact in the Las Vegas summer league

Jets all set to be on Hard Knocks this season

Teofimo Lopez has made a U-turn on his early retirement, as the 25-year-old eyes a huge clash with Devin Haney. Lopez won the WBO super-lightweight title with a decision win over Josh Taylor in June, handing the Scot the first loss of his professional career. Lopez then claimed that he would be calling time on his boxing career, even informing the WBO that he was giving up his title. Now, however, the American has reversed that decision, telling the WBO that he will keep the gold. Lopez, who previously reigned as unified lightweight champion, is also targeting a bout with Haney, who is undisputed at lightweight. Lopez tweeted on Thursday (13 July): “Yo @Realdevinhaney , since you were so quick to jump in the mix for my WBO Championship belt! Let’s make the fight happen so the world can see who is about that action & no, you will not be on the A-side. I hold the King title of the division as well! So don’t run away!!” He continued: “Came out of retirement (I guess) because the next move was for Devin Haney to fight sorry-a** Arnold Barboza for my WBO championship title at 140lbs. F’ that. I’m tired of helping this kid be something that he is not. And that’s a real champion!” Twenty-four-year-old Haney, who retained his titles with a narrow decision win over Vasiliy Lomachenko in May, replied: “Let’s do it. [You] never retired in the first place.. let’s see if you really want the smoke. “I’m gonna b 140 champ regardless. U asked for 20 million last time my pops talked [to] u.” Lopez then responded to his unbeaten compatriot, writing: “What? 20 M’s? I didn’t even stat out the location of our fight let alone put a price on the fight. What you talking about man?! “Start losing weight and we’ll figure out the rest so we can give the fight fans a DREAM that will TAKEOVER the sport of BOXING!” Lopez, who also holds a decision win over Lomachenko, suffered the sole defeat of his professional career in 2021, when he was outpointed by George Kambosos Jr. With that loss, Lopez dropped the unified lightweight titles that he won from Lomachenko in 2020. Kambosos Jr then lost the belts to Haney via decision in 2022, and the Australian failed to regain them in a rematch later that year – again losing on points. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Why Fury vs Ngannou may tarnish the Gypsy King’s legacy forever Oleksandr Usyk recites poem and rap as Daniel Dubois vows to ‘unleash hell’ on champion Don’t be fooled by Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte’s calm reunion – this is a fight built on spite Josh Taylor plunged into the unknown as Teofimo Lopez earns redemptive win Why Fury vs Ngannou may tarnish the Gypsy King’s legacy forever Usyk recites poem and rap as Daniel Dubois vows to ‘unleash hell’ on champion

Rory McIlroy is laughing off a Saudi-backed idea that he and Tiger Woods own LIV Golf teams

Marketa Vondrousova has become the first unseeded women’s finalist at Wimbledon since Billie Jean King in 1963

Oleksandr Usyk was the star of his press conference with Daniel Dubois on Thursday (13 July), reciting a poem and rap as he came face to face with his challenger in London. Uysk will defend the unified heavyweight titles against mandatory challenger Dubois on 26 August, when the pair clash in Wroclaw, Poland. Dubois, 25, is not the Briton that fans wanted to see take on Uysk, 36, but talks between the unbeaten Ukrainian and Tyson Fury fell through this spring. As a result, this match-up came about, as did Fury vs Francis Ngannou – which was announced on Tuesday (11 July). In any case, Dubois backed himself at Thursday’s press conference, saying: “One hundred per cent I’m ready, we’re ready to rumble. This is it, bring them titles back home, bring them belts. They’re coming with me, it’s my time. “Usyk’s been a great champion, [but] everything with a beginning has to end. I’ve got to outmanoeuvre him and everything. I’m younger, I’m stronger, I’ve got to unleash hell on this guy. “I’m different, you guys are gonna see it. The bookies can say whatever they want, it’s no pressure for me. I never listen to [the media] anyway. I’m gonna be on him, ready to take them belts away.” Meanwhile, Uysk recited a poem, which his promoter Alex Krassyuk said would take too long to translate, though Krassyuk did reveal that the passage was “about enemies who are going to be destroyed”. Yet Uysk (20-0, 13 knockouts) also paid respect to Dubois, saying: “I think really highly of my opponent. He’s a nice man, a nice guy, a nice athlete. He came to the position of mandatory, so he deserves it, but let’s stop talking; let’s see each other on 26 August.” When asked if he had a message for Dubois, Usyk simply said, “I am the message myself,” before launching into a rap after their face-off. The Ukrainian, an Olympic gold medalist, previously reigned as the only undisputed cruiserweight champion of the four-belt era. After moving up to heavyweight, he beat Anthony Joshua to win the unified titles, which he retained against “AJ” in their rematch last summer – again defeating the Briton on points. Meanwhile, Dubois last fought in December, stopping Kevin Lerena after recovering from three knockdowns, two of which were caused by a knee injury. Dubois (19-1, 18 KOs) has since had surgery to resolve the issue. Egis Klimas, Usyk’s manager, said: “We were introduced to Daniel Dubois as a killer. All that speed, all that power, he’s gonna come to knock Oleksandr Usyk out, as I understand it. First of all, to knock someone out, you need to touch them. Sometimes, it’s not easy for the big cat to catch the mouse.” Meanwhile, Dubois’s promoter Frank Warren added: “I look at it in a different way to everybody else. This is a test for Usyk against Daniel, fighting a young, hungry, up-and-coming fighter. He’s capable, he can punch, he can jab, he’s faster than people think. I genuinely believe that my man will win. This is gonna be a great fight, while it lasts.” Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Daniel Dubois believes he can cause upset against Oleksandr Usyk in Poland Why Fury vs Ngannou may tarnish the Gypsy King’s legacy forever ‘Nonsense’: Anthony Joshua reacts to Fury vs Ngannou fight announcement Why Fury vs Ngannou may tarnish the Gypsy King’s legacy forever Daniel Dubois believes he can cause upset against Oleksandr Usyk in Poland Anthony Joshua to face Dillian Whyte in rematch at The O2 on August 12

Central defender Iñigo Martínez says he’s prepared to “work as hard as the next guy” for Barcelona

Chet Holmgren made it two big nights in a row for No. 2 picks

The IOC says Russia and Belarus won't get a formal invitation to the 2024 Paris Olympics when more than 200 national teams receive their traditional invites later this month

Even in a time of extortionate inflation in the United Kingdom, it was eye-catching when a Spanish man in north London agreed to pay £105m for Rice and £36m for Timber; Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber, admittedly, and if the midfielder’s price ranks among the highest ever forked out by a Premier League club, the Dutch defender has the potential to look a relative bargain for Arsenal. But each, like Kai Havertz, is a testament to Mikel Arteta’s expensive ambition; to his relentless drive and his permanent restlessness, too. Arsenal’s summer spending will soon top £200m. Their outlay over last season’s two transfer windows came to around £170m, while the summer of 2021 amounted to about £150m in fees alone. None of which even makes Arsenal the biggest spenders in the capital, and if Chelsea still have the air of an anomaly, there is also a cost to competing with the Manchester clubs, Liverpool, Tottenham and now Newcastle. And as Arteta inherited a team in mid-table, he was starting from a low base; there was a greater need for rebuilding. Yet it is notable that Arteta’s reaction to a breakthrough season has been so dramatic. The exponential improvement of both the team – from 69 points in 2021-22 to 84, from 61 goals to 88 – and individuals, whether in Martin Odegaard’s transformation into a scorer, Ben White’s conversion into a right-back, William Saliba’s makeover from serial loanee to defensive mainstay or Bukayo Saka’s new status as one of the best players in the country, could have pointed to a model of continued evolution. Instead, there is more of a revolutionary feel to Arsenal’s summer. If 2021, with an investment in youth, seemed to set in place a plan for years, and 2022, with the purchases of the Manchester City pair of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus, looked another phase, the stakes seem raised again in 2023: taking on City for Rice, taking the Champions League final scorer Havertz from Chelsea. But a departure that could free up a place for either has both a footballing and a symbolic significance. Granit Xhaka was the last Arsene Wenger signing to remain pivotal; redemptive a season as the Swiss had, Rice and Havertz look upgrades. If Timber’s arrival ushers Rob Holding towards the exit, another link with the Wenger era will be gone. Should Kieran Tierney go, as is possible, there will be less of Unai Emery’s legacy left: Saliba signed under the current Aston Villa manager, but never played for him, while Gabriel Martinelli’s maiden Premier League start came under the caretaker Freddie Ljungberg, a couple of weeks before Arteta’s appointment. This is Arteta’s Arsenal now. He will not celebrate his fourth anniversary until December but the speed of change is reflected not just in the composition of the squad but in terms of who is actually on the pitch. Of the 14 footballers to play the most Premier League minutes for Arsenal last season, one (Xhaka) was bought by Wenger, two (Saliba and Martinelli) joined under Emery and two (Saka and Eddie Nketiah) were youth-team products who barely featured before Arteta took charge. The other nine – seven of the 11 with the most minutes plus the January recruits Leandro Trossard and Jorginho – were Arteta buys. Tierney ranked 15th, the oft-injured Takehiro Tomiyasu 16th and Holding 17th. So even factoring in the probability that another Hale End Academy graduate, Emile Smith Rowe, will feature more in the forthcoming campaign, along with another January addition, Jakub Kiwior, the division of labour is likely to be shifted still further towards Arteta’s arrivals. Eight of the probable first 11 could be his buys, along with perhaps 13 of the 18 most-used players. That preferred 11 could contain a couple of notable omissions: the speed of change may mean some Arteta flagship buys are sidelined. Thomas Partey looks likely to drop out of the strongest side; in defence, Tomiyasu was demoted last season, despite an encouraging debut year, and Timber’s signing will pose questions if the same fate awaits White, terrific as he was, or if the newcomer proves a back-up. Meanwhile, a comparison is instructive. Three and a half years into his mentor Pep Guardiola’s reign at City, a host of players bought under previous managers – David Silva, Fernandinho, Vincent Kompany, Kevin de Bruyne, Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling – were still pivotal. Three and a half seasons into Jurgen Klopp’s time at Liverpool, so were survivors of previous regimes such as Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Roberto Firmino, while others – Dejan Lovren, Joe Gomez, Divock Origi, Adam Lallana – were still involved. But, three and a half years into Arteta’s time at Arsenal, it is very possible everyone who features regularly will either be his signings or those who only made minor contributions under his predecessors. It really will be his team. Read More Defender William Saliba commits to Arsenal with new long-term contract Granit Xhaka departs Arsenal on busy day at the Emirates It’s been a hell of a journey – Reiss Nelson wants to take Arsenal to next level

Novak Djokovic will carry winning streaks of 33 matches in a row at Wimbledon and 26 in a row at all Grand Slam tournaments into the semifinals at the All England Club

Sports merchandise giant Fanatics Inc. is introducing a new events business in a bid to create a network