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Tyson Fury’s manager has confirmed that there’ll be no changes to the Brit’s corner during his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk.

Fury, 35, tasted defeat for the first time in his professional career in May after a split-decision result. Although their rematch hasn’t been given an official date, the ‘Gypsy King’ is expected to have a second chance at downing the Ukrainian this coming December, with the winner likely to take on either Anthony Joshua or Daniel Dubois in March 2025.

During the loss, there was notable change in Fury’s corner. Traditionally, only one person speaks to a fighter between rounds, yet in Riyadh, Fury’s father John, SugarHill Steward and Andy Lee were all seen giving him advice.

JUST IN : “I wanna see him fight the best in the division”: Terence Crawford Draws Out Plan for Shakur Stevenson to Sweep the Lightweight Division

Some of that was contradictory, leading to criticism of having too many voices. Nevertheless, manager Spencer Brown says that Fury won’t be changing tack.

“There’ll be changes, not in management or his team, there’ll be some other stuff that he’ll be looking at training-wise,” Brown told Sky Sports. “With the closeness of the fight last time, it could have gone either way. Some people will say Usyk was three rounds in front, some people won’t, it’s your opinion on boxing – that’s why we love it,” reports the Mirror.

Ex-heavyweight boxer and former sparring partner to both Usyk and Fury, Dave Allen, didn’t mince his words when criticising Fury’s corner. He told Boxing Social: “[There were] just too many voices in the corner really, I thought tactically through halfway was spot on case he boxed him and he had to box him because Usyk was so sharp, but you know you cut to the corners.”

Referring specifically to Fury’s trainer, SugarHill Steward, he added: “SugarHill in the corner, he’s the only voice for me but he’s getting advice from John as well, after the knockdown in round 10 get on your bike and have a rest but 11 and 12 you need to win them rounds, he was trying to steal it. They’re telling him if you win the last round you’ve won the fight no, by this point you need a knockdown you need to get him out of there.”

When it comes to Fury’s upcoming rematch with Usyk, the pressure is certainly on for the British heavyweight to bring home the victory. But Brown remains optimistic about his odds, stating: “Tyson Fury will be back. He’ll be firing and we’ll see a new, better, improved Tyson Fury.”

Concluding his thoughts, he remarked: “At his age, I don’t know how much you can improve but there was very, very little in the fight between them, so let’s back our British guy and I’m sure he will win and then we’re going to talk about the next stage.”

BOXING

“I wanna see him fight the best in the division”: Terence Crawford Draws Out Plan for Shakur Stevenson to Sweep the Lightweight Division

Shakur Stevenson has been trying to get bigger fights in the lightweight division for the past few years.

However, it has not gone his way, and he has become one of the most ignored fighters in boxing. But, one legendary boxer believes Stevenson is headed in the right direction for greater success. Two-division undisputed champion Terence Crawford has prepared a plan to help Stevenson get to the top of the lightweight division.

Stevenson extended his unbeaten record to 22-0 earlier this month against German boxer Artem Harutyunyan. Despite Stevenson’s victory, fans deemed it as a boring fight. Additionally, it was his last fight with Bob Arum’s Top Rank, and he has not signed another promoter yet. But the news of him being a free agent has created a buzz online.

JUST IN: Why David Benavidez Puts Canelo Alvarez Dream to Rest Decides to Remain at 175 Explain

Fans have criticized Stevenson for being a boring combatant. He uses a fairly defensive style of play. However, ‘Bud’ prefers that the young boxer continue doing what he is doing and make no changes to his style. During his conversation with sports journalist Ariel Helwani, Crawford stated, “I would like to see Shakur Stevenson do exactly what he’s doing now. Keeping his name out there in the media, people are talking about him. Ultimately, I wanna see him fight the best in the division.”

Additionally, Crawford added, “I wanna see him unify the division and shut these guys up who are saying, ‘he’s not this great fighter they think he is’. I wanna see those guys get in the ring with him.”

Stevenson has been waiting for a long time to take on top boxers such as Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia, and Gervonta Davis. But to no avail.

However, he feels these boxers will eventually have to fight him for the title given that he currently holds the WBC lightweight belt. Moreover, another sports icon shares the same thoughts as ‘Bud’.

Joe Cordina, a former two-time super featherweight champion, admired Stevenson’s boxing abilities. The Welsh boxer was a rival to Stevenson before, but he still admires the latter’s talent. While talking to BoxingScene, Cordina said, “It’s mad, because I see loads of people giving him stick. But if you love the art of boxing, you can’t knock it. How can you knock that? He hits and doesn’t get hit. He’s smart.”

The 32-year-old further mentioned that Stevenson is among the best defensive fighters today. Cordina stated that he genuinely doesn’t understand why the Newark native is getting so much hate. He explained, “It’s people that just don’t see the art of boxing. All they want to see is knockouts.”

BOXING

Why David Benavidez Puts Canelo Alvarez Dream to Rest Decides to Remain at 175 Explain

Perhaps the grass on the other side is indeed greener.

David Benavidez might have sensed that a fight with either Artur Beterbiev or Dmitry Bivol makes more sense than the prolonged wait for long-time divisional rival Canelo Alvarez. ‘The Mexican Monster’s callout of the Mexican icon has now entered boxing folklore. With Alvarez showing no signs of interest in fighting the 168-pound interim champion, it seemed more prudent for Benavidez to test the waters elsewhere.

So, on to the 175-pound division. To announce his arrival, a quick dispatch of Oleksandr Gvozdyk followed. It was time to wait and watch. Either go back home and wait for Canelo Alvarez to accept the mandatory challenge, or face the division’s other big names, such as his namesake David Morrell or Edgar Berlanga. Otherwise, stay back at light middleweight. The division is set for its biggest upheaval when champions Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol finally clash for the undisputed title. So, why not become a mandatory challenger here rather than face a protracted delay at super middleweight, where Canelo Alvarez shows no sign of abdicating his throne anytime soon?

JUST IN: ‘Tank’ Davis fight is a phone call away – Shakur Stevenson’s co-manager

The landscape of the super middleweight and light heavyweight divisions seems to be settling down, at least for the time being. According to an update posted by talkSPORT’s Michael Benson, David Benavidez has seemingly decided to stay at 175 pounds.

‼️ David Benavidez has decided to stay at light-heavyweight meaning he will be mandatory for the Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol winner but vacate his WBC 'interim' belt at super-middleweight and no longer be mandatory for Canelo, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman has confirmed.

— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) July 23, 2024

So, he will become the mandatory challenger to the winner of the October 21 Riyadh Season showdown between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol. However, the move comes at a price. Currently the WBC’s ‘interim’ super middleweight champion, he will have to relinquish the belt, rendering his status as Canelo Alvarez’s mandatory challenger redundant.

Needless to say, the news has drawn a myriad of reactions from fans and followers. The overall vibe and theme raked of Canelo Alvarez ‘ducking’ Benavidez, thus resulting in such a move from the latter. One fan wrote, “Benavidez vs. Dmitry Bivol would be a good fight! Since it seems we’ll never get Benavidez vs. ducker Canelo.”

But in hindsight, one must consider whether it is a prudent move from ‘The Mexican Monster’.

From what it appears, Canelo Alvarez’s second fight of the year may take place around the Mexican Independence Day weekend. According to available reports, Edgar Berlanga, the WBA’s mandatory challenger, appears the strongest candidate to stand opposite him. So what if the undisputed champ decides to consider a fight with Benavidez? Chances are it may not happen until September 2025. One must consider the ongoing talks about a potential matchup with Terence Crawford under Riyadh Season’s auspices.

No waiting: David Benavidez ⁦@Benavidez300⁩ to face Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol winner https://t.co/RLoyNzfZBz

— Lance Pugmire (@pugboxing) July 24, 2024

So, does it make any sense to stay put and wait for his next payday, risking possible ring rust? Now, as a light heavyweight challenger, he will have to await the outcome of the October 21 clash in Riyadh. Artur Beterbiev is nearing forty. Hence, if he wins, there are chances he might pursue another high-profile fight against a big name such as David Benavidez. That might well be his swan song.

If Dmitry Bivol wins, then, thanks to their sparring sessions, as he stated before, Benavidez knows the fighting style of the Russian-Kyrgyz boxer. Given the confidence he expressed in knocking out Bivol if ever there was a fight, his dream of becoming an undisputed champion could be close enough. The die has been cast. The light heavyweight division is going to witness some high-class, edge-of-the-seat action in the coming months. Perhaps fans might as well be happy with ‘The Mexican Monster’s decision.

BOXING

‘Tank’ Davis fight is a phone call away – Shakur Stevenson’s co-manager

In the strongest terms possible, Shakur Stevenson and his representatives are ready to fully launch negotiations with fellow unbeaten three-division champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis for a lightweight unification bout.

Now, it’s just a matter of making those terms make sense.

“It’s all up to ‘Tank.’ The one thing about Shakur – he will take anyone you put in front of him,” Stevenson’s co-manager, Josh Dubin, told BoxingScene Tuesday. “We’re here and waiting and ready to negotiate.”

READ: ‘GERVONTA CAN KILL THIS GUY’ – TANK DAVIS BACKS TO KO LOMA AND SHAKUR

Through last week, Baltimore’s World Boxing Association champion Davis (30-0, 28 KOs) was in talks to stage a unification against IBF champion Vasiliy Lomachenko of Ukraine.

However, Lomachenko arrived in the U.S. and told his representatives he’d prefer to stand down and return to fight in the first quarter of 2025, according to Lomachenko promoter, Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum.

With Davis, 29, coming off an eighth-round knockout of Frank Martin June 15, his alternate plans for a high-profile lightweight fall bout seem to be down to the 27-year-old Stevenson (22-0, 10 KOs) or No. 1 contender William Zepeda.

Facilitating his case, Stevenson is now operating as a free agent following his July 6 unanimous-decision triumph over Artem Harutyunyan that marked the expiration of his contract with Top Rank.

Officials at Davis’ promoter Premier Boxing Champions did not immediately return messages left by BoxingScene this week asking about Davis’ next move.

One source told BoxingScene that there has been a preliminary discussion between Davis and Stevenson’s representatives. Dubin declined to comment on that subject.

“We’ll know how realistic (Davis and PBC’s interest) is by how financially viable they make it for Shakur,” Dubin said. “They know Shakur produced the highest-rated ESPN card of the year (July 6), so they need to come correct.”

Dubin said he and Stevenson co-manager James Prince “have our phone lines open, ready for a call, and they have our numbers.

“It’s a fight Shakur really wants. He’s been begging for it for a long time. What Shakur wants to do – let me say it plainly – is to unify at 135. The logical fights to make that happen are to fight the champions.”

Stevenson criticized Arum and Lomachenko for keeping that bout off limits while Stevenson was with the promotion.

“(Lomachenko) obviously knows the outcome, and he walked away,” Dubin said.

Additionally, Dubin said Stevenson’s team asked for a unification attempt at new WBO lightweight champion Denys Berinchyk.

“We couldn’t get a straight answer – and that was when Shakur was still under contract,” Dubin said. “We asked for that fight and they wanted to talk about a long-term contract.

“Shakur’s own enemy is his own greatness, and other peoples’ fear of him. But he has total trust in James and I and he’s also patient.”

Ideally, his patience is rewarded with the Davis fight – a bout that would match two unbeaten three-division champions in their primes and two highly-popular social-media figures.

Davis has shown that he can generate more than one million pay-per-view buys when he’s teamed with a popular opponent, as he was with Ryan Garcia (1.2 million buys) last year.

For Stevenson, the bout against one of the sport’s most potent knockout artists would be an opportunity to dispel the criticism over the inactivity of his evasive, defensive-minded style that has left audiences and critics panning his past two bouts.

A similar opportunity seemed possible against the destructive Zepeda (31-0, 27 KOs), but Zepeda promoter Oscar De La Hoya says he won’t permit Zepeda to fight Stevenson unless the Newark, N.J., product and 2016 U.S. Olympic silver medalist signs with De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions.

“Why would (De La Hoya) penalize his own fighter? You don’t issue edicts like that at the expense of your own fighter,” Dubin said.

That moves Stevenson straight toward Davis, an irresistible showdown seemingly there for the taking.

“The phone lines are open,” Dubin said.

TENNIS

Paris Olympics: Coco Gauff Takes Inspiration From Danielle Collins

There are three days to go before the Paris Olympics and Coco Gauff is ready for the event.

Known to showcase her extraordinary fashion game on the court, Gauff is not making any exceptions for the Olympics. Right before she attended the event as a debutante, this 20-year-old American showcased her diva self by following her teammate Danielle Collins‘ path. Is Gauff gearing up to bag her first Olympic medal in Paris?

Before the commencement of the Paris Olympics, participants are trying to lift their spirits for this exclusive event. America’s Coco Gauff, set to represent her country, showcased her Paris Olympics enthusiasm by donning a special fashion. She shared a photo of her nail art that perfectly represented the dominant colors of America’s national flag, red and blue. Sharing the image on her official Instagram story, Gauff wrote, “Paris soonnn.” She also added the American national flag emoji to help her followers understand where she sought the aesthetic inspiration for her new nail art, who happened to be her fellow teammate!

READ: Coco Gauff Breaks the Myth Surrounding Lower-Ranked Players

Now, Gauff is not the only WTA star who showcased this interesting fashion before the Paris Olympics. Her teammate Danielle Collins also donned similar nail art inspired by her country’s United States flag. Sharing its pictures on her social media, Collins wrote, “Olympics here I come.” The Olympic nail art trend crossed the borders of the United States and reached Canada. WTA star Bianca Andreescu also opted for French manicure short square nails with the top highlighted by colors inspired by the hues of Canada’s national flag.

While the Paris Olympics have encouraged WTA stars to go to extra lengths to make sure they look gorgeous while trying their heart and soul for the medal, Coco Gauff’s followers are quite used to seeing her donning new nails before any special event. Before attending Wimbledon, Gauff showcased an adorable fashion sense through her nail art.

This 20-year-old WTA star lifted her 2024 Wimbledon doubles trophy by showing off her pretty nails that perfectly captured Wimbledon’s essence. Showing off small oval nails in transparent polish and French manicure tips, Gauff represented her great fashion game by adding small strawberries to some of her nails. Given that enjoying strawberries and cream as equally iconic as Wimbledon’s charm, Gauff’s nails enhanced her presence.

She also donned raven-themed nail art for the 2022 Halloween celebration where the WTA star dressed as the Raven from the Teen Titans. Adding the hues of black and purple with spooky elements such as spider webs and cute polka dots in white and black, Gauff’s Halloween nails were too gorgeous for her followers to miss.

Nevertheless, her recent nail art for the upcoming Paris Olympics represents her inner enthusiasm for the event. After all, she couldn’t attend the Tokyo Olympics after being tested positive for Covid 19. This year is special for her being the debutante and her excitement is visible through her reactions.

Uncategorized

Tiger Woods photos show gruesome extent of injuries from near-fatal crash for first time

Tiger Woods was in attendance at the US Junior Amateur on Monday to support his son Charlie – but fans were left concerned after seeing the 48-year-old in shorts

The aftermath of Tiger Woods’ horrifying car crash was starkly evident when the golf legend was seen supporting his teen son at the US Junior Amateur.

Woods was present to cheer on Charlie, who hit a round of 82 at Oakland Hills on Monday, finishing on 12 over par. Though Woods seemed to enjoy the action after announcing a five-month beak from the sport, all eyes were on the visible damage to his legs.

REEAD: Tiger Woods already in Detroit helping Charlie prepare for his first USGA championship

Scars were clear, with his right leg seeming to bear the brunt of injury following the nearly fatal crash he experienced in California. In February 2021, Woods suffered multiple open fractures to his tibia and fibula, coupled with nasty injuries to his foot and ankle.

At the time of the horrific incident, Tiger was already navigating pain, as he was in recovery from a prior back surgery. On that morning around 7am, his SUV left the road, crashed into a tree and summersaulted several times. It’s believed he crashed at a speed of 85mph.

Firefighters and paramedics extricated Woods from the wreckage, transporting him straight to hospital for immediate doctor examination. LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said at the time: “The primary causal factor for this traffic collision was driving at a speed unsafe for the road conditions and the inability to negotiate the curve of the roadway.”

The golfing legend navigated his way from a wheelchair to crutches, leaving fans in awe at his ability to still swing a club at professional level. At 48, he’s openly battling pain to stay in the game, with visible scars bearing witness to his surgical battles.

Woods is seemingly on the twilight trail of his illustrious career, missing the cut in three out of four majors this season, only making an impact at the Masters where he finished 60th. Now, he’s increasingly seen cheering on his son from the sidelines, although tournament rules keep him from coaching during matches.

Yet, Woods couldn’t hide his fatherly pride and concern, caught muttering words of encouragement as his son Charlie, 15, took on the course. Charlie is keen to emulate his dad’s success, and Woods can’t help but beam about his progress.

“His speed has gone dramatically up this year,” Tiger said toward the end of 2023. “He’s hitting it past me now. I enjoy caddying for him and being there with him, just to talk through shots with him and have him understand what I would see or… the thought process I would have going through. He would bounce things off of me, and (I would) give him my take on certain things.”

BOXING

‘GERVONTA CAN KILL THIS GUY’ – TANK DAVIS BACKS TO KO LOMA AND SHAKUR

Jorge Linares feels Gervonta Davis stops Vasiliy Lomachenko and Shakur Stevenson.

Davis is one of the sport’s most devastating punchers. He is undefeated with a 30-0 record, 28 of which are knockout. He stopped Frank Martin in his last fight to retain his WBA Lightweight Title. After the fight, several names were mentioned for Tank’s next opponent. Both Loma and Shakur are in the running. Lomachenko was the favorite, with Davis saying he was next.

The Ukrainian had just picked up the vacant IBF Lightweight Title after stopping George Kambosos Jr. However, it appears Loma is not interested in the fight. His manager, Egis Klimas, has said Loma has no motivation for that challenge now as he will ponder his next move. Lomachenko is not the same fighter who had previously dominated the division.

JUST IN: Terence Crawford explains why he prefers to face Canelo over Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis

At 36, he has slowed down. His losses to Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez showed that. He was also vocal about considering retirement before the Kambosos fight. But he took the fight on his father’s advice, who did not want him to retire on a loss after the Haney fight. Linares was clear that Loma was not the same fighter.

“[Vasiliy] Lomachenko is a great fighter, amazing guy, amazing boxer. I fought with him, but it’s different. It’s a different time. Maybe four years ago, it would be 50/50. Now I believe Gervonta – we will see in that moment – maybe TKO, maybe some crazy KO.

“You know Gervonta is the guy who maybe wants to do the same plan as he did in the last fight [against Frank Martin]. Keep waiting and waiting. You know he received a couple of punches that night, but what happened after the sixth or seventh round? He waited for the moment, and he killed the guy. So maybe we can see the same situation with Lomachenko,” Linares said

That leaves Shakur as an alternative. Stevenson is a highly skilled boxer with great defense. But his defensive style has not gone down well with the fans. He was booed for his last two fights against Edwin De Los Santos and Artem Harutyunyan. That has made Shakur less of an attractive option. Davis has shown that he can walk down his opponents if they do not have the power. Shakur is not the biggest puncher, meaning he must do more to earn Tank’s respect. Martin was doing well in the fight until Davis closed the distance and knocked him out. Linares expects the same to happen if he fights Shakur.

“If Gervonta is fighting with Shakur [Stevenson], it’s more of an easy fight. “I like Shakur, but he has so many crazy things right now. For me, it’s more exciting to see Lomachenko with Gervonta. If that fight happens with Shakur, it’s easy. With Shakur, [Davis] can do whatever he wants to do – maybe decision, maybe KO. If that fight with Shakur can happen, I think Gervonta can kill this guy,” Linares stated

BOXING

Terence Crawford explains why he prefers to face Canelo over Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis

Terence Crawford could still have his biggest fight ahead of him.

Forty fights into his undefeated boxing career, Crawford doesn’t have much left to prove. This Saturday at a Riyadh Season event in Los Angeles, he moves up to the super welterweight division to fight Israil Madrimov for a vacant WBA title — and after that, he may just move up a couple more weight classes for the right opponent.

That opponent? The great Canelo Alvarez.

During an appearance on The MMA Hour, Crawford was asked what weight class he’d be willing to take on the larger Canelo at, and he didn’t hesitate to give a number.

JUST IN: ‘PEOPLE SAY TANK’S DUCKING SHAKUR’ – GERVONTA DAVIS’ TRAINER TARGETS SHAKUR

“One hundred sixty-eight [pounds],” Crawford said. “If that’s the fight in front of me, then yes.”

Crawford, 36, has spent the majority of his career competing anywhere from 135 to 147 pounds, capturing titles in three divisions along the way, and he targets another with his move to 154 pounds against Madrimov. Jumping up to 168 pounds for a bout with Canelo, 34, would be the heaviest Crawford has ever weighed for a fight, by far.

Undefeated welterweight Jaron “Boots” Ennis also looms as a potential opponent after recently defeating David Avanesyan to retain his IBF title, which was promoted from interim status due to Crawford (since stripped of his share of the IBF title) being expected to rematch Errol Spence Jr. at some point in the future rather than face Ennis.

Unfortunately for Ennis, Crawford would prefer a matchup with Canelo, with the understanding that it would likely require the involvement of Riyadh Season promoter Turki Alalshikh.

“Being where I’m at right now, I’m looking at the fight that makes the most sense. and that’s not ‘Boots,’” Crawford said. “Canelo’s going to bring way more to my legacy, way more to my bank account, because at the end of the day when boxing is done with, what will we have? I want to have a legacy that’s something that people talk about for the ages, and not only that, I want to have a bank account that lasts as well.”

“I think it would be everybody’s choice. Canelo would have to agree, I would have to agree, Turki would have to agree because he’s the one that’s dishing out the money, so a lot of moving parts got to be involved in that fight.”

As for Spence, who Crawford defeated by ninth-round TKO in July 2023, Crawford is still waiting for the call to make their rematch official.

“I didn’t hear anything from Team Spence or his handlers after the fight, so everything just kind of went cold turkey,” Crawford said.

BOXING

‘PEOPLE SAY TANK’S DUCKING SHAKUR’ – GERVONTA DAVIS’ TRAINER TARGETS SHAKUR

Gervonta Davis’ co-trainer, Kenny Ellis, wants to target a fight with Shakur Stevenson following the breakdown in talks with Vasiliy Lomachenko.

Davis was in talks with Loma for a possible unification in November. Tank holds the WBA belt at 135, while Lomachenko has the IBF Belt. However, Lomachenko will take the rest of the year off, leaving Davis without an opponent. But now, the focus has turned towards Stevenson. Shakur is the WBC champion at 135, which still allows Davis to unify and chase undisputed.

Stevenson is a free agent following his last fight against Artem Harutyunyan. That makes a possible Davis fight much easier, given Shakur is not held down to a network. There is also an issue with rehydration clauses since they both make 135 pounds quite easily. Ellis was hoping to make that fight next.

READ: LOMACHENKO DUCKS TANK DAVIS – ‘LOMA IS NOT IN THE MOOD RIGHT NOW’

“Still salty about Lomachenko not agreeing to fight Tank. He is straight ducking. Hopefully, Shakur won’t duck. People say Tank’s ducking Shakur, let’s see,” Ellis said

Nevertheless, there are still issues with making this fight. The fight is not as big as it could have been due to Shakur’s recent performances. He was booed during his fight against Edwin De Los Santos. Shakur was fighting on the back foot as he won a unanimous decision. He defended the performance, saying he had an injury coming into the fight. But Shakur’s next performance against Artem also came under fire. Despite Shakur dominating the fight, he failed to stop his opponent.

Some fans were seen walking out of the arena before the last round. There were also some jeers from the crowd, although Shakur put that down to Arem’s reluctance to engage. Shakur is also not a big PPV draw. His style does not resonate with the fans, while Davis has shown he needs a big dance partner to sell. The Ryan Garcia fight sold over 1.2 million PPVs, with a live gate of over $20 million.

‼️ Gervonta Davis' co-trainer Kenny Ellis has indicated that they could now target Shakur Stevenson after Vasyl Lomachenko pulled out of negotiations: “He [Loma] is straight ducking. Hopefully Shakur won't duck. People say Tank's ducking Shakur, let's see.” [@MillCityBoxing] pic.twitter.com/XZXNv7WIwS

— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) July 22, 2024

That was the highest-grossing boxing event in 2023, earning Davis approximately $50 million. The Shakur fight is unlikely to get anywhere near that. However, with legacy on the line, there is a feeling Davis must take that fight to avoid claims that he does not fight top-level opposition. Terence Crawford hoped Shakur could unify the division to shut down his critics.

“I would like to see Shakur Stevenson do exactly what he’s doing now. Keeping his name out there in the media, people are talking about him. I want see him fight the best in the [lightweight] division. [And] I want see him unify the division and shut these guys up who are saying, ‘He’s not this great fighter they think he is’. I want see those guys get in the ring with him,” Crawford said

Crawford is well aware of those struggles. He struggled to make the big fights during his time with Top Rank. He held the WBO title at 147 before leaving to chase the Errol Spence Jr. fight. Bud got the fight and stopped Spence to become the first Undisputed Welterweight Champion of the four-belt era. The win solidified his position as a future Hall-of-Famer. Shakur may need to follow the same blueprint to get his flowers.

TENNIS

Nadal ‘not comfortable’ ahead of Olympics bid

By Admin July 22, 2024

Rafael Nadal will head to the Paris Olympics chasing a third gold medal but admitted his “level was so far from what it should be” after losing in the Bastad clay-court final on Sunday.

The 38-year-old Spanish great went down to a straight-sets defeat to Portuguese journeyman Nuno Borges in his first final since capturing a 14th French Open in 2022.

“The level was so far from what it should be. Probably the energy too,” said Nadal.

READ: Rafael Nadal drops hint about withdrawing from Bastad after winning four-hour match

“It has been a long week with long matches. Even if my body, I don’t have damage, that’s important — but mentally and physically, I am not used to playing four days in a row and playing long matches.”

Nadal was playing his first tournament since an opening round exit at the French Open in May.

He skipped Wimbledon to focus on his clay-court bag of tricks ahead of the Olympics which are being played at Roland Garros, the site of 14 of his 22 Grand Slam triumphs.

At the Games, Nadal will be looking to add to his singles gold from the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and doubles victory at Rio in 2016.

As well as singles, in Paris he will team up with French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz.

“I played the final, that’s positive. I was able to play long matches without having an injury, that’s good,” added Nadal of his week in Sweden.

The former world number one has played just six tournaments in 2024 due to injury while his ranking has slumped to 261.

“In some way I felt that I arrived here practising much better than what I played on the tournament during the whole week. That’s something that I am not satisfied with,” he explained.

“I arrived here with the feeling that I was playing a good level and I was not able to show that during the whole week. That is something that I am not happy with.

“Anyway it’s a final, so I can’t say it’s a bad result because it’s the first final since a long time ago. But I was not able to feel myself comfortable enough during the whole week to be satisfied with the week of tennis that I played.”