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Usher to headline Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show
On Sunday, Apple Music, the NFL and Roc Nation announced one of the most influential artists of a generation, USHER will perform during the APPLE MUSIC SUPER BOWL LVIII HALFTIME SHOW at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, NV. on Sunday, February 11, 2024, airing on CBS.
“It’s an honor of a lifetime to finally check a Super Bowl performance off my bucket list. I can’t wait to bring the world a show unlike anything else they’ve seen from me before,” said USHER. “Thank you to the fans and everyone who made this opportunity happen. I’ll see you real soon.”
“Usher is the ultimate artist and showman. Ever since his debut at the age of 15, he’s been charting his own unique course. Beyond his flawless singing and exceptional choreography, Usher bares his soul,” said JAY-Z. “His remarkable journey has propelled him to one of the grandest stages in the world. I can’t wait to see the magic.”
Apple Music’s multiyear partnership with the NFL and Roc Nation brings together the Super Bowl Halftime Show — the most-watched musical performance of the year — with Apple Music, which celebrates musicians, songwriters, producers, and fans, and offers the world’s best music listening experience with a catalog of over 100 million songs and immersive sound powered by Spatial Audio. Apple revolutionized the music experience with iPod and iTunes and continues the award-winning tradition with Apple Music. Follow @AppleMusic on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter.
The multiple GRAMMY Award-winning diamond-selling international megastar, actor, dancer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist inspires change yet again in 2023 and beyond.
Beyond selling over 80 million records worldwide and collecting dozens of awards, Usher has simultaneously lit up the small screen on NBC’s The Voice and the big screen in blockbusters such as Hustlers. He has also tirelessly distinguished himself as a devout humanitarian, raising tens of millions of dollars for various causes and uplifting youth via his New Look Foundation. Since 1999 he has been providing opportunities for young people in underserved communities and enabling them to flourish and achieve seemingly impossible dreams. A long-time supporter and Global Citizen Ambassador, Usher has performed at events since 2015 raising awareness to defeat poverty, defend the planet and demand equity. A true outlier, he is equally at home on the stage of his sold out My Way Las Vegas residency as he was on a 2016 government cultural mission to Cuba as part of President Barack Obama’s Presidential Committee for Arts and Humanities.
The Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show telecast will be produced by DPS with Roc Nation and Jesse Collins serving as executive producers, and Hamish Hamilton serving as director. Roc Nation also serving as the strategic entertainment advisors of the live performance.
In 2022, Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show Starring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar garnered five Creative Arts Emmy nominations. The critically acclaimed performance won three Creative Arts Emmys, including Outstanding Variety Special (Live), a first ever for the show.
Benn hopes to fight in UK very soon
Some felt he should not be in the ring on Saturday night, but he was, and Conor Benn went 10 rounds with Rodolfo Orozco and won by unanimous decision in Orlando, Florida.
Two judges had the fight 99-91 and 96-94, all for Benn.
Benn (22-0 14 KOs), who is currently unable to fight in the UK after testing positive for banned substances before his fight with Chris Eubank Jr. last October, fought for the first time since April 2022.
The National Anti-Doping Panel cleared the son of former world champion Nigel Benn in July, but UKAD(U.K. Anti-Doping) and BBCOFC(British Board of Control) have appealed that decision.
Benn, who usually campaigns at 147, fought at junior-middleweight on Saturday night and inflicted a decent amount of punishment on Orozco (32-4-3 24 KOs) throughout the fight. Still, the Mexican fighter was able to provide a test of Benn’s durability and punch resistance, but Benn got the job, and maybe more importantly, he got rounds in.
“We didn’t want a walk in the park,” Benn said after the fight. “I needed the rounds after 18 months out; he’s a true Mexican, my first Mexican I’ve fought, and we knew he was durable. Credit to him, he’s never been stopped before, and he’s one tough man, and I hope he progresses.
“They are stronger and take shots more; I don’t think there was ring rust; I was going through the gears after going through hell.”
The 26-year-old Benn’s goal is to fight in his native UK again.
“Britain is my home, and it’s only right I fight back there, sooner rather than later.”
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni talks ‘Tush Push’
Not many plays in the NFL are unstoppable, but there is one that the Eagles use that is pretty close. The ‘Tush Push,” as it is affectionally called, is impossible to stop.
If it’s one yard or less, more than likely, the Eagles are using a quarterback sneak with a little push from behind.
Last season, the Eagles ran 41 QB sneaks, and Philly converted 37/41(90%). Again, that play is pretty much impossible to stop.
According to CBS Sports, Philadelphia’s success marked the first time in 15 years a team has topped 20 first downs on quarterback sneaks,
In their win over the Minnesota Vikings last Thursday night, Hurts scored two touchdowns using the ‘Tush Push.’
As they continue to prepare for their road game against the Buccaneers on Monday night, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni was asked about the play’s origin.
“It works, and we just keep doing it,” Sirianni said on Saturday. “I don’t remember if we saw this — I know Reggie Bush did it to Matt Leinart a long time ago, right, in Notre Dame versus USC. There is not a rule against it, so that’s what we do.
“I don’t know what the origin is except for when it works; we just keep rolling with it.”
Many think it’s the push that makes it impossible to stop; however, Sirianni says it’s more than that.
“Yeah, not everyone has [C] Jason Kelce, [G] Landon Dickerson, [C/G] Cam Jurgens,” Sirianni said. “Not everybody has [T] Jordan Mailata. Not everybody has [T] Lane Johnson on the other side. Not everybody has that type of quarterback.
“We noticed that last year when people were making maybe some big deals about it. There are a lot that are unsuccessful. You guys know who the teams were that were, and I don’t know exactly the teams that were successful and the teams that weren’t successful.
“But there is clearly a talent to it that our guys have because it’s not as — maybe it’s automatic right now for the Philadelphia Eagles, but it’s not automatic around the NFL, which is where you get — when you hear about it; obviously I get prepped for these things, and I hear about — Bob [Lange] will prep me for questions like this…
“Now, we did a lot of studies on everything in the off-season to help ourselves be even better at it, but it’s about those guys up front. It’s about Jalen [Hurts]. I think we would be pretty successful without the push, but we’re just pushing them sometimes to give that extra thump.”
The NFL is a copycat league, so you are starting to see other teams try to emulate what the Eagles are doing; however, as Sirianni said, not many teams have a tremendous offensive line like Philadelphia, and most don’t have a quarterback that can squat 600 pounds.
The only thing that could stop this play is the NFL. Over time, you wonder if the league will change the rules, which could happen, but for now, the ‘Tush Push’ is alive and well.
Giants’ Jones on loss to 49ers: ‘We just didn’t make enough plays’
The New York Giants(1-2) ended their two-game West Coast road trip 1-1 after falling to the San Francisco 49ers(3-0), 30-12, on Thursday night.
New York was without star running back Saquon Barkley(ankle) and left tackle Andrew Thomas(hamstring), and that vaunted 49ers’ defense gave the Giants fits.
Without those two critical pieces, the Giants rushed for only 29 yards and had 150 total yards, their lowest output since 2013. In addition, they had only ten first downs.
“No excuses,” Giants head coach Brian Daboll said after the game. “We could do a better job.”
Daniel Jones, who struggled on Thursday night, completed 22 of 32 passes for 137 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception. According to him, the team could not take advantage of opportunities.
“We just didn’t make enough plays,” Jones said. Obviously, it’s a good defense, going up against them and credit to them. They play well, but we have to convert a couple of those opportunities. When you play a good team like that, you have to be crisp. We have to be clean, and we didn’t do that.”
For the third straight week, the Giants have trailed at halftime; they have been outscored 63-6 in the first half this season. Those bad starts are hard to come back from. Jones says the team has to figure it out.
“Yes, it’s not what we’re trying to do, so we have to find a way to figure that out,” he said. “Execute better early in the game, finish in the end zone, take advantage of opportunities, but it comes down to making plays and executing better in those situations.”
After three weeks, the Giants have fallen to two teams, the Cowboys and 49ers, who are two of the better teams in the NFC; in reality, both games were not very close, so it’s safe to say this team is just not as good as the top teams in the NFC. However, there’s still a lot of football to be played.
The Giants get back at it next Monday night at home against the Seattle Seahawks at MetLife Stadium.
Frank Sanchez returns on Canelo-Charlo undercard
Top heavyweight Frank “The Cuban Flash” Sanchez will highlight the stacked three-fight SHOWTIME PPV COUNTDOWN show as he takes on Scott Alexander in a 10-round matchup on Saturday, September 30 leading up to the Canelo Álvarez vs. Jermell Charlo SHOWTIME PPV event taking place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Canelo Promotions will present the Premier Boxing Champions pay-per-view.
The lineup will also see former light heavyweight champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk battle Brazil’s Isaac Rodrigues in an eight-round duel, while 2012 U.S. Olympian Terrell Gausha faces KeAndrae Leatherwood in an eight-round middleweight bout.
The live stream will begin at 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT and be available on the SHOWTIME SPORTS YouTube channel and SHOWTIME Boxing® Facebook page.
These fights lead into a four-fight pay-per-view telecast beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and headlined by Undisputed Super Middleweight World Champion Canelo Álvarez defending his titles against Undisputed Junior Middleweight World Champion Jermell Charlo in a historic battle of reigning undisputed champions.
An amateur standout from his native Cuba, Sánchez (22-0, 15 KOs) now trains in California with renowned trainer of Canelo Álvarez, Eddy Reynoso. The 31-year-old caught the heavyweight division’s attention when he scored a career-best win in October 2021, dropping the previously unbeaten Efe Ajagba on his way to a unanimous decision victory. Most recently he blasted out Daniel Martz in one round in April. He will be opposed by the 34-year-old Alexander (17-5-2, 9 KOs), who most recently knocked out Jaime Solorio in August 2022. The Los Angeles-native has challenged many contenders throughout his career, including Zhilei Zhang, Carlos Negron and Travis Kauffman.
After earning a bronze medal representing his native Ukraine at the 2012 Olympics, Gvozdyk (19-1, 15 KOs) turned pro in 2014, eventually defeating a slew of contenders to earn a light heavyweight title shot. He went on to become WBC champion with an 11th-round knockout of Adonis Stevenson and defended the title in 2019 by stopping Doudou Ngumbu in round five. Since losing the belt in a unification match against Artur Beterbiev, Gvozdyk has picked up a pair of victories in 2023, besting Josue Obando in February and Ricards Bolotniks in May. He will take on Mocajuba, Para, Brazil’s Rodrigues (28-4, 22 KOs), who most recently dropped a decision to Richard Rivera in February. Rodrigues has also challenged contender Demond Nicholson in a career that dates back to 2005.
A member of the 2012 U.S. Olympic team, Gausha (23-3-1, 12 KOs) was born in Cleveland, Ohio but now fights out of Encino, Calif. The 36-year-old has faced tough competition throughout his career, having fought former champion Austin Trout to a draw in 2019 in addition to decision losses against former champion Erislandy Lara, top contender Erickson Lubin and interim champion Tim Tszyu. Gausha has shown impressive power in recent years, blasting out Jamontay Clark in two rounds in 2021 and most recently stopping Brandyn Lynch in round nine in March. He faces Tuscaloosa, Alabama’s Leatherwood (23-8-1, 13 KOs), who has faced numerous former champions and contenders including Caleb Truax, Andy Lee, Hugo Centeno Jr., John Jackson, Steve Rolls and Christian Mbilli.
The non-televised undercard will see 140-pound contender Gabriel Valenzuela (27-3-1, 16 KOs) duel Yeis Gabriel Solano (15-2, 10 KOs) in an eight-round attraction, amateur sensation Curmel Moton in his pro debut taking on Ezequiel Flores (4-0, 3 KOs) in a six-round super featherweight fight, and super featherweight prospect Justin Viloria (3-0, 3 KOs) stepping in for a six-round match against Chicago’s Angel Barrera (4-2).
Rounding out the lineup is a pair of unbeaten prospects from Kazakhstan as Bek Nurmaganbet (10-0, 8 KOs) squares off against Abimbola Osundairo (5-0, 3 KOs) in a six-round super middleweight tilt, while middleweight Abilkhan Amankul (4-0, 4 KOs) faces Joeshon James (7-0-1, 4 KOs) for six rounds of action.
Lubin: ‘I feel I’m one of the best in the world’
Hard-hitting contender Erickson “Hammer” Lubin will look to catapult himself right back to the top of the stacked 154-pound division with an emphatic victory over unbeaten rising sensation Jesus “Mono” Ramos in the Canelo vs. Charlo SHOWTIME PPV co-main event on Saturday, September 30 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Canelo Promotions will present the Premier Boxing Champions pay-per-view.
“Ramos is nothing that I haven’t seen before, and on fight night, he’s gonna know that I’m the better man,” said Lubin during a short breather from training camp. “He’s a tough southpaw, but I’ve watched enough to dissect him and go out there and execute in the fight. He’s a good fighter, but he’s not perfect. There are a lot of flaws that I can definitely capitalize on and that’s what I’m going to do on September 30.”
Lubin (25-2, 18 KOs) returned from a defeat to Sebastian Fundora in one of 2022’s best fights to stop contender Luis Arias in June and begin another ascent toward a world title shot. Before stepping into the ring for a pivotal matchup on September 30, Lubin spoke extensively about training camp, Ramos, bouncing back from defeat and more:
On his edge in experience and how it could play out in the fight:
“When it comes to ‘A-side’ or ‘B-side’, it doesn’t really matter in this fight. I’m the one with experience. He wants to be in my spot. He’s young, he’s undefeated, he’s been on big undercards and stuff like that. But they must have given him the ‘A-side’ because of his looks or something because I’m really the ‘A-side’ if it comes down to it. He wants to take what I have. On September 30, it’s my job to stop this young boy’s dreams. He bit off more than he can chew too early. This is an important fight for me. I’m going to show the world that I’m not a gatekeeper in this division. I’m one of the top dogs in this division. Being a gatekeeper doesn’t sit well with me. So I’m motivated. I’ve got a chip on my shoulder and it will show on September 30.”
On training camp in South Florida with head trainer Kevin Cunningham:
“We haven’t done too much differently this training camp. The one thing we have done differently is the game plan. Every training camp we give it our all. We train really hard and that’s just the program and system that we live by. I’ve had over 200 rounds of great sparring with young guys and veterans, so I’m sharp.”
On when he first targeted Ramos as a potential opponent:
“I asked for this fight before Ramos fought Joey Spencer. They told me no. I guess he was still growing, but now is the time for him. I’m excited for it. He’s a young lion and I’m going to show him that I’m a young lion with more experience. I’m hungrier than he is. I just want it more.”
On what taking on this challenge says about him as a fighter:
“Look at my resume. It’s been like this from the beginning. They know what type of fighter I am. I feel I’m one of the best in the world and I want to leave my mark on the sport as one of the greatest to ever do it. I could have been fighting a YouTuber and I still would have trained just as hard. I look at every fight as my most important one, especially while I’m right here, close to a title. I still want to avenge my defeats against Sebastian Fundora and Jermell Charlo, but in order to do that, in order to get another world title shot, I’ve got to go out and prove myself. I’ve got to win in a good fashion.”
On how he’s able to bounce back from his defeats:
“I’m strong mentally. I really believe in myself. I know the talent that I have. I’m very talented. My hiccups only made me better. With the Charlo fight, I was a little bit too young. Charlo was fighting in his 30th fight and it was just my 19th. The experience level was different.
“With the Fundora loss, that was a fight I was winning. My trainer had to throw in the towel because of my face. He cares for me beyond boxing. He saw my face swollen and lumped up and he did what he felt was best. We live to fight another day. I came back, went to the drawing board and got better and smarter. Right now, I’m just entering my prime. I’m 27 years old and the best of me will show on September 30. I’m excited, I’m stoked, and I definitely want to show that I’m the best fighter in the division.”
On how important a statement victory is to him:
“I don’t feel that I have to make a statement, but I will make a statement. I’m always motivated to just win. That’s the only objective. But I feel I will make a statement. With the hard training camp that we had with Kevin Cunningham, who is a zero-tolerance type of trainer, he’s drawn up a great game plan and it always works. So I’m definitely going in there, listening to him, and it’s going to be a great night on September 30.”
On what fighting in the co-main event of a pay-per-view mega fight means to him:
“I’ve been waiting for moments like this. I feel like this is going to bring the best out of me. We put in a hard 10 weeks of camp. I just got back from fighting in June. Activity brings the best out of me. This is what I asked for. It’s the big stage and I’m going to show that I’m a very elite fighter. They know I’m elite, but I’m going to show that I’m one of the best in the world and I’m here to stay. I’ve got this young kid in front of me and he wants to take my spot.”
Ra’eese Aleem is looking for title shot
Super bantamweight contender Ra’eese Aleem (20-1, 12 KOs), currently ranked #5 by the World Boxing Organization (WBO), is ready to take on his next challenge. Aleem is setting his sights on a showdown with Ireland’s TJ Doheny (24-4, 18 KOs) in his quest to ascend the WBO rankings. In addition, Aleem is open to fighting anyone rated in the WBO to ten.
Aleem’s recent setback in Australia, where he faced local hero Sam Goodman (15-0, 7 KOs) in a split decision loss, has only fueled his desire to make a comeback and prove his worth on American soil. The razor-close nature of the fight left no doubt in Aleem’s mind that he belongs among the elite in the super bantamweight division.
“I’ve faced adversity, and I’ve learned from it,” said Aleem. “The loss to Goodman in Australia was a tough pill to swallow, but it’s only made me hungrier. Now, I’m looking forward to challenging TJ Doheny and showing the world what I’m made of. He’s ranked #4 and I’m #5, and if a fight can be made in the USA, then I’m ready to go. I also want to let it be known that I’ll fight anyone in the top ten in the WBO rankings. My goal is to fight here in the USA before the end of the year, or early 2024.”
Aleem’s manager, Greg Hannley, believes a win over Doheny would get him closer to a world title shot.
“Ra’eese is a fighter with incredible heart and talent,” Ra’eese Aleem’s manager, Greg Hannley stated when talking about his fighter’s abilities and aspirations. “We believe that a victory over Doheny, or anyone in the top ten will propel him further up the WBO rankings and put him in a prime position to fight for a world title.”
76ers sign forward Marcus Bagley
On Thursday, the Philadelphia 76ers announced that they have signed forward Marcus Bagley.
According to reports, it’s an Exhibit 10 deal.
Bagley, 21, spent parts of three seasons at Arizona State, where he posted career averages of 10.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in 17 total appearances. During his time as a Sun Devil, he also shot 35.1% from beyond the arc on 5.5 attempts per game over his three years.
The undrafted rookie free agent is also the younger brother of Marvin Bagley III, who has played five NBA seasons after being selected with the No. 2 pick by the Sacramento Kings in the 2018 Draft.
Philadelphia’s training camp begins on October 3-6 at Colorado State University’s Moby Arena in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Ugas, Barrios putting in work for big fight on Canelo-Charlo undercard
Former world champions Yordenis Ugas and Mario “El Azteca” Barrios showed off their skills and previewed their upcoming showdown for the Interim WBC Welterweight Title during a media workout in Las Vegas Tuesday before they meet on the Canelo vs. Charlo SHOWTIME PPV undercard on Saturday, September 30 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Canelo Promotions will present the Premier Boxing Champions pay-per-view.
Ugas and Barrios will look to reclaim championship gold in a matchup that will see the former WBA Welterweight Champion Ugas square off against the former 140-pound titlist Barrios. Each fighter is led to the ring by a renowned trainer as Ugas is guided by longtime top trainer Ismael Salas, while Barrios trains under 2022 Ring Magazine Trainer of the Year Bob Santos.
Here is what Ugas and Barrios had to say Tuesday from DLX Boxing in Las Vegas:
YORDENIS UGAS
“In the end, it’s about taking each round as seriously as the previous round. I don’t take anything for granted. The goal is to have each and every round go the direction I want it to go.
“I’m not in the prediction business, but what I do is fight elite fighters, give my best every round and let the chips fall where they may.
“I’m used to these big fight atmospheres, but it is very exciting to be on the card with a star as big as Canelo. It’s a great source of pride and I plan to bring my best for all the fans watching.
“It’s beautiful to be fighting here in Las Vegas again. I’m 5-0 in Las Vegas and this is my third time fighting at T-Mobile Arena. I feel at home and absolutely love fighting here in Las Vegas.
“It was both physically and emotionally tough after the Errol Spence Jr. fight. Emotionally I had to carry that loss with me. Now I can redeem myself and put it all in the past. I always knew that I would come back after the fight. My eye got stronger after the surgery and now I feel ready.
“I was so happy to be able to be back in the gym and do what I’ve wanted to do my entire life. I was back in training in December and started sparring again a couple months after that.
“I’m just focused on my fight. I have no clue what Crawford may do with the WBC belt. I’m doing my thing and that’s what I plan to keep doing.”
MARIO BARRIOS
Photos from Ryan Hafey/Premier Boxing Champions
“I’m gonna bring the same intensity that I bring in every fight. I feel a lot more comfortable and settled in at the weight now.
“I’m preparing myself to the best of my ability. We have a very good game plan that we’re getting ready for Ugas. It’s a really hard fight, but those are the type of fights that I like to take. I want to continue to test myself and my ability and my skill in the ring.
“Everything has been really good. I’ve been here in Las Vegas for a few months staying ready. My mind and body are both looking on point right now. It’s exciting.
“I think the move out here to Las Vegas was necessary. I feel sharper than ever and more focused. I get tremendous workouts here. It’s been very beneficial.
“A win in this fight means everything for me and my career right now. It puts me at the top of the division with the best welterweights out there and gets me closer to the bigger world title fights.
“I’m very happy to be here in Las Vegas with Bob Santos. Me and Bob have always had a great relationship and having him as the head coach again is great. We’re gonna be able to accomplish a lot in the next few years.”