Jake Paul is back to his winning ways after defeating former UFC star Nate Diaz by unanimous decision on Saturday night at a sold-out American Airlines Center in Dallas(DAZN PPV).
Paul(7-1, 5 KOs), who lost to Tommy Fury in his last outing, dropped Diaz in the fifth round with a left hook and got the better of the action throughout.
At the end of the fight, two judges had it 98-91, 98-91, and another judge had it 97-92.
Paul has a new team in place, including his new trainer Shane Mosley; Paul believes he could have gone 12 rounds in this fight.
“I’m a new fighter,” he said after the win. “The new team we brought in, the new strength and conditioning—- everything was new, and I worked harder this camp. It pushed me to my limits. There were moments in the gym where I thought, ‘Damn, I don’t even know if I can do this,’ but I just kept on believing in myself, and now my gas tank is crazy. I could have kept on going. I could have gone 12 rounds, and we are just stepping up and up, and after doing it in three years- I’m happy with myself.”
Jake Paul vs Nate Diaz/Most Valuable Promotions/Ester Lin
According to the 26-year-old Paul, his loss to Fury helped make him a better fighter.
“The loss was seriously the best thing. It set me on the path I was supposed to be on, and you can’t cut corners in this sport,” Paul said. “I was in the gym the day after the loss. I flew back from the Middle East and went to the gym every single day up until this fight.”
In his professional boxing debut, the 38-year-old Diaz(0-1) did not look that bad, but he sometimes gassed out. However, he did go 10 rounds in his debut in the boxing world, which is admirable.
While Paul continues to move the train along and still is a guy who drives the needle, it should be interesting to see who he fights next. Will he go after another MMA guy or try his hand at another “real boxer?”
Regardless of who he fights, to Paul’s credit, he has worked hard to become a boxer.
In other action:
In the co-main event, Amanda Serrano (45-2-1) electrified the crowd, earning a unanimous decision win (99-91, 100-90, 100-90) over former WBO featherweight title holder Heather Hardy (24-3, 4 KOs) after an exhilarating 10 round blood-soaked battle, retaining her title as undisputed champion.
Serrano and Hardy have had nothing but respect and kind words for each other, but once they entered the ring, both women went to war. Serrano gave a dominating performance with a barrage of punches in her classic style, while Hardy showed grit and heart, hanging on until the final bell. The two shared a sentimental moment in the ring following the fight as they expressed their appreciation for one another and their hope to continue growing the sport of women’s boxing.
Chris Avila (4-1) overtook Jeremy “Lil Heathen” Stephens (0-1-1) in a unanimous decision victory (59-55, 59-55, 60-54) as the two super middleweight combat sports veterans went head-to-head. Avila handed Stephens his first professional loss, putting forth a dominating performance in just his fifth professional bout as he controlled much of the action for six rounds.
Undefeated lightweight H2O Sylve (10-0, 9KOs) brought the American Airlines Center to its feet with multiple thunderous body shots, knocking out the more experienced veteran lightweight William “Baby Face” Dos Santos Silva (30-5, 18 KOs) in the fourth round. The rising star earned the title of ESPN Ringside’s 2022 prospect of the year and proved his strength and dominating power against Silva as he celebrated with his patented griddy in the ring.
Shadasia “The Sweet Terminator” Green (13-0, 11 KOs) also earned a decisive victory by unanimous decision (99-91, 100-90, 100-89) over Olivia Curry (7-2, 2 KOs). The two super middleweight powerhouses put on an unforgettable matchup as fans went wild over the nonstop action. The win cements Green’s next fight against Savannah Marshall as mandatory challenger for the undisputed super middleweight title.
On Saturday, Cleveland Cavaliers backup point guard Ricky Rubio announced that he is stepping away from basketball to focus on his mental health.
“I have decided to stop my professional activity to take care of my mental health,” Rubio said. “I want to thank all the support I have received from the [Spanish national] team to understand my decision. “Today #family makes more sense than ever. Thank you. I would ask that my privacy be respected so that I can face these moments and be able to give more information when the time is right.”
The 32-year-old was expected to play for the Spanish National team in the FIBA World Cup this summer.
Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman said in a statement that the team will support Rubio.
“We were informed today by Ricky and his representation that he has decided to step away from his illustrious basketball career to focus on his mental health at this time,” Altman said. “We understand how difficult of a decision this was for him and will balance providing whatever support we can while simultaneously respecting Ricky’s request for privacy.”
At this point, there’s no word on when or if Rubio will return to basketball.
Last season, Rubio, who returned in January from a torn ACL, averaged 5.2 points on 34% shooting and 3.4 assists per contest.
Matchroom Boxing announced on Saturday that Anthony Joshua’s fight with Dillian Whyte on August 12 is off.
Here’s a statement from Matchroom Boxing on the reason for the cancellation:
“Today, the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) informed Matchroom, the Association of Boxing Commissions, and the British Boxing Board of Control that Dillian Whyte had returned adverse analytical findings as part of a random anti-doping protocol.
“In light of this news, the fight will be cancelled, and a full investigation will be conducted.
“Further information on the event will follow.”
Whyte tested positive for PEDs in 2012, which led to a two-year ban from UKAD. In 2019, Whyte tested positive for a banned substance before his fight with Oscar Rivas but was later cleared.
It should be interesting to see who steps in for Whyte, and it also should be interesting to see what direction the 35-year-old goes in from here. Whyte could also get cleared when this is all said and done, so we must wait and see.
Former bantamweight world champion Emmanuel Rodriguez plans to become a two-time world champion in emphatic fashion when he battles streaking contender Melvin Lopez for the vacant IBF Bantamweight World Championship live on SHOWTIME® on Saturday, August 12 in a Premier Boxing Champions event from The Theater at MGM National Harbor in Maryland.
“We’re coming to knock Melvin Lopez out,” said Rodriguez. “I believe that I will be dominating the fight by the sixth, seventh or eighth round. It’s going to be just a matter of time.
“Our goal is to drive him back because we know he has an aggressive style and reputation. We’re going to prevent that by fighting in the middle of the ring or pinning him against the ropes. If we have to adjust, I’m confident we’ll still be successful.”
Rodriguez held the IBF title from May 2018 until dropping the belt to Naoya Inoue in their May 2019 clash. Most recently, Rodriguez put himself back into world title contention by defeating the previously unbeaten Gary Antonio Russell in October 2022. Currently training in the city of Jiquipilco, Mexico, Rodriguez believes that his experience and mental edge will be the difference maker on fight night.
“My experience is going to make all the difference,” said Rodriguez. “Not just my experience, but also my skills and my quality as a fighter. The key is to take Lopez out of his comfort zone. When you’re out of your comfort zone, you make mistakes. This fight will be 70% mental and 30% physical. I’m a savvy fighter.”
Representing his native Manati, Puerto Rico, Rodriguez can become the country’s fourth current male world champion with a win on August 12. In addition to highly decorated women’s champion Amanda Serrano, Rodriguez looks to join 140-pound champion Subriel Matias, 108-pound champion Jonathan Gonzalez and 105-pound champion Oscar Collazo.
“Becoming the fifth current Puerto Rican world champion would be amazing,” said Rodriguez. “Subriel Matias is here training with me and we talk every day. Oscar Collazo and I are close too, and we stay in touch. We all root for each other. Matias always tells me to believe in myself and is a real motivator for me. Boricuas are riding the wave of success and we have to enjoy the moment.”
Rodriguez hopes to work towards becoming undisputed at 118-pounds, a journey that could see him a matchup with recently crowned WBC Bantamweight World Champion Alexandro “Peque” Santiago, who won the title last weekend with an impressive performance against future Hall of Famer Nonito Donaire on SHOWTIME PPV®. If Rodriguez is successful next weekend, he hopes to make that fight the next in the storied ring history of Puerto Rico vs. Mexico.
“Being undisputed is hard and it’s my ultimate goal,” said Rodriguez. “Santiago’s performance surprised me a lot. I didn’t think he would win, but he fought flawlessly and put on a clinic against Donaire. ‘Peque’ wasn’t little at all, he looked big. I hope he can be my next opponent to unify titles in another edition of the Puerto Rico vs. Mexico rivalry.”
Super-Lightweight World Title challenger Jack Catterall will defends his WBA Intercontinental Title against multi-weight World Champion Jorge Linares at the M&S Bank Arena Liverpool on Saturday October 21(DAZN).
Catterall (27-1, 13 KOs) is determined to make up for lost time and challenge for gold at 140lbs once again following his hugely controversial loss to former undisputed Super-Lightweight World Champion Josh Taylor back in February 2022.
‘El Gato’ is itching to get back in the ring with the ‘Tartan Tornado’ and avenge his only loss, and the Chorley fighter has also targeted the winner of the muted fight between Devin Haney and Regis Prograis should he get past Venezuela’s Linares.
The 30-year-old southpaw ended a 15 month ring absence by widely outpointing Darragh Foley over ten-rounds on the undercard of Leigh Wood’s WBA Featherweight World Title win over Mauricio Lara at Manchester Arena in May.
Linares (47-8, 29 KOs) is well-known in the UK following his tenth-round stoppage win over Kevin Mitchell at The O2 in London back in May 2015 and his two points wins over former Lightweight World Champion Anthony Crolla at Manchester Arena in 2016 and 2017.
The former Featherweight, Super-Featherweight and Lightweight World Champion wants to throw his name into the mix in the thriving 140lbs division by keeping his 100% winning record in the UK intact and ruining Catterall’s chance of World Title action in his next fight.
“It is an honour to share a ring with Jorge Linares,” said Catterall. “I’ve watched him come over to the UK on three occasions and win three times. He is a legend of the game and this is a must-win fight for the both of us for very different reasons.
“There is talk of a huge fight for me after this but it’ll count for nothing if I take my eye off the ball – which I can’t afford to do at this stage of my career. It’s no secret my career has lacked momentum, so after boxing in May and now October I genuinely believe you’ll see the best version of me on October 21.”
“October 21 I’m back in the UK,” said Linares. “I’m full of emotion and ready to give everybody a spectacular performance against a tremendous opponent Jack Catterall. I just want everyone to know that I’m ready to give Jack a great boxing lesson and to continue making history in the UK. The last Samurai is back, stronger than ever.”
“Another massive fight announced as we return to the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool for Jack Catterall vs. Jorge Linares on Saturday October 21,” said Matchroom Sport Chairman Eddie Hearn. “Jack is active and firing on all cylinders, looking to make a statement against multi-weight World Champion and future Hall of Famer Jorge Linares.
“Jack wants the rematch with bitter rival Josh Taylor or the winner of Devin Haney vs. Regis Prograis if that fight gets over the line, but he can’t take his eye off the ball here. Jorge returns to these shores looking to make it four wins from four fights in the UK after his epic fights with Kevin Mitchell and Anthony Crolla twice. He’s made it clear that this is his last big roll of the dice and he is already deep into camp training like a machine. The big fights keep on coming, live around the world on DAZN.”
Around this time last season, Zach Wilson was the guy for the New York Jets and was expected to take the franchise to the next level. That didn’t happen, and ultimately, the Jets brought in four-time league MVP Aaron Rodgers in the offseason.
This season, the second pick in the 2021 NFL Draft is competing for the backup quarterback position, and in the Hall of Fame Game against the Cleveland Browns in Canton, Ohio, on Thursday night, where the Jets would lose 21-16, Wilson got off to a great start.
He led the Jets on two scoring drives(two field goals) and completed 3 of 5 passes for 65 yards, including a beautiful 57-yard strike to Malik Taylor, which Wilson said Rodgers called from the sideline.
“Yeah, great call by Aaron Rodgers,” Wilson said after the loss. “He wasn’t on the headset. (Nathaniel) Hackett is calling the plays, but I think that was his suggestion of the play, so I had to give him love there.
Jets head coach Robert Saleh added on the throw: “It was really good. I thought he put it right on the money. Zach (Wilson) did a good job; he was poised, looked comfortable in the pocket, delivered the ball on schedule, and definitely something to build on.”
The 24-year-old says he a more confident entering this season, and that confidence was on display on Thursday night.
“Absolutely, absolutely,” Wilson said about being more confident. “For whatever reason, I feel like I’m trying to find my way. I feel like this training camp and OTA’s, I found what feels comfortable for me, and it’s definitely not perfect, but it’s something I’m working at. It’s a great feeling to feel like there’s a good path you’re going down, and you can just keep working on those things. The goal for this preseason stuff is how consistent, how efficient can you be. That was the goal tonight; how efficient can we be offensively?”
According to Saleh, the Jets are looking to rebuild the third-year quarterback’s confidence.
“Yeah, for him, just rebuilding that confidence and swag that we fell in love within the draft process and all that stuff, and I think he is getting it,” Saleh said. “I said it before, he is a rookie all over again, all the footwork is different, the verbiage is different, the way Aaron (Rodgers) plays quarterback, and the way (Nathaniel) Hackett teaches quarterback is a little bit different, so there is a lot of learning, and I think he has been attacking the heck out of it and doing a really nice job.”
Great start for Wilson, and in all reality, who knows how many more years the 39-year Rodgers will play, so it’s good for New York to see growth from Wilson.
In 2017, the Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl. The Eagles got great quarterback play from Carson Wentz and Nick Foles during that season. In addition, they had a very good running game, but it wasn’t just one running back; it was running back by committee, which was led by LeGarrette Blount, Jay Ajayi, and Corey Clement.
Philadelphia was third in the NFL in rushing yards per game.
Fast forward to 2023, with Miles Sanders off to the Carolina Panthers, it appears that the Eagles will be running back by committee again. In the offseason, the Eagles signed running back Rashaad Penny and acquired D’Andre Swift from the Lions to go along with what they have with Kenneth Gainwell, Boston Scott(re-signed), and Trey Sermon.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni was asked how he will utilize his running backs this season, and based on his answer, it could be by committee.
It can look any way,” Sirianni said about running back by committee on Thursday, “Again, we’re early on with pads. Running backs show out when their pads are on even more so.
“Again, you’re just looking for different things that they can do. You always adapt to what your players do well, but also, there are some things that you want to be able to run. You want to be like, ‘All right, who can do this job well and who can do this job well and who can do this job well?’ Sometimes it’s the same person throughout, and sometimes it’s by committee.
“We’ll see how it plays out. We’re still learning some of the new guys and what they’ve done, but I’m really pleased with the new guys, and I’ve really liked with [RB] D’Andre [Swift] and with [RB] Rashaad [Penny].
“And then I’m really pleased. Obviously, we’ve been through [RB] Kenny [Gainwell] and [RB] Boston [Scott] have been productive the last two years and have made a lot of plays for us the past two years not only in the season but in the playoffs.
“Then I can’t say enough about [RB] Trey [Sermon]. We were really excited to get him last year. He was able to get some game reps. We really liked him in practice. So, it’s a good thing when you have competition at a position because it just brings out the best in everybody.
“But, again, it can look any way we need it to look. We’ll see. We’ll see as we continue down the road, we’ll see. Good thing is I don’t have to make a decision on how it needs to look quite yet.”
Sanders would be the best back in the room if he were on the roster. However, this is a solid collection of backs for the Eagles, and if they stay healthy, they can definitely get the job for Philadelphia.
Five months after Chinese southpaw Zhilei “Big Bang” Zhang shook up the heavyweight division with a stunning knockout, he’ll look to do it again. Zhang’s rematch with British superstar Joe Joyce — Saturday, Sept. 23 at OVO Arena Wembley in London — will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+.
Zhang-Joyce II, the return of two-time light heavyweight title challenger Anthony Yarde against Ricky Summers, and additional undercard action begins at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT.
Zhang (25-1-1, 20 KOs), who at 6’6 and 275-plus pounds more than lives up to his nickname, captured an Olympic silver medal for his home country at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He turned pro in 2014 and compiled a 24-0-1 record before losing a controversial decision to Filip Hrgovic last August. Less than eight months later, he faced Joyce at London’s Copper Box Arena, peppering the Brit with lefts until the ringside physician stopped the fight in round six due to the swelling engulfing Joyce’s right eye. Zhang snatched Joyce’s WBO interim world title in the process.
Joyce (15-1, 14 KOs), a 2016 Olympic silver medalist, hopes to exact revenge in his hometown. Before the first Zhang fight, “The Juggernaut” was known as boxing’s immovable force, stopping top contenders Carlos Takam, Daniel Dubois, and Joseph Parker during a five-fight knockout streak. Joyce turned pro in October 2017 and won the Commonwealth title in his fourth outing.
Terri Harper will clash with former world pound-for-pound No.1 Cecilia Braekhus for the WBA and WBO Super-Welterweight World Titles on the undercard of Leigh Wood’s WBA Featherweight World Title defense against Josh Warrington at the Utilita Arena Sheffield on Saturday October 7(DAZN).
The pair were originally slated to square off for Harper’s WBA crown on the historic Katie Taylor vs. Chantelle Cameron show at the 3Arena in Dublin earlier this year, but Braekhus was forced to withdraw from their fight on the morning of the event due to an illness.
Former WBC and IBO Super-Featherweight World Champion Harper (13-1-1 6 KOs) won the WBA 154 pounds World Title by widely outpointing Scotland’s Hannah Rankin at the Motorpoint Arena Nottingham in September last year – her first fight up at Super-Welterweight.
Norway’s Braekhus (37-2, 9 KOs), a former undisputed ruler at 147 pounds, is attempting to become a two-division World Champion. ‘First Lady’, a modern pioneer of women’s boxing, held the WBC and WBA World Titles at Welterweight from 2009 to 2020, also picking up the WBO Title in 2010 and the IBF Title in 2014.
Braekhus lost the titles by majority decision to Jessica McCaskill in August 2020 in Downtown Tulsa, USA and lost again to ‘CasKILLA’ in a rematch at the American Airlines Center in Dallas in March 2021. McCaskill is the only fighter to have beaten Braekhus as a professional.
“The fight went down really well with the fans the first time and it would’ve been a shame for it to have never happened,” said Harper. “I’m excited and grateful to everyone for making it happen again and it’ll be even more special this time with the opportunity of unifying the division.
“When the fight fell through last time I sulked for the weekend but thanks to Matchroom and Eddie I was back in the gym the following Monday ready for another fight week. Looking back this experience has made me a stronger fighter with even more experience now gained.
“Cecilia is an icon of the sport and has already done everything I want to achieve. That’s why me and my team were so keen to pursue this fight. I see this fight as a passing of the baton and another stepping stone towards my ultimate goal of becoming undisputed at the weight.
“It feels good to be back in front of my home crowd. From the beginning of my career I’ve had a great following and come fight night I’ll have thousands in there showing their support. Last time out in Sheffield didn’t go the way I planned but I’m excited to back to winning ways on home soil.
“I won my first World Title at Sheffield Arena and then lost them there, now it’s time to become unified World Champion at that same arena. It’s a huge night of boxing with a massive domestic fight headlining, I’m very lucky to be chief support and I will make sure I put on a good show. Not to jinx it but every time I’ve fought on Leigh’s undercard we’ve both had the desired outcome.”
“I’m delighted to announce the chief support bout for what will a monster night of World Title action on Saturday October 7,” said Matchroom Sport Chairman Eddie Hearn. “Two-weight World Champion Terri Harper gets the biggest fight of her life as she makes the first defence of her WBA Super-Welterweight World Title against former pound-for-pound No.1 and undisputed Welterweight ruler Cecilia Braekus, with the vacant WBO crown now also on the line.
“We were all gutted for Terri after Cecilia was forced to withdraw from their original fight on the historic Katie Taylor vs. Chantelle Cameron card in Dublin earlier this year due to illness, but now ‘Belter’ will be backed by thousands of her own supporters as she goes for the biggest win of her career. Roll on October 7 live worldwide on DAZN!”
Three-division world champion Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete is ready for an all-Mexican war. Navarrete puts his WBO junior lightweight world title on the line against former two-division world champion Oscar Valdez on Saturday, August 12, at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. Navarrete-Valdez, Raymond Muratalla-Diego Torres and Richard Torrez Jr.-Willie Jake Jr. will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. Navarrete (37-1, 31 KOs), the fighting pride of San Juan Zitlaltepec, captured the WBO junior featherweight world title by defeating Isaac Dogboe in December 2018. After five defenses, he moved up to featherweight and defeated Ruben Villa for the vacant WBO title in October 2020. The 28-year-old defended his crown against Christopher Diaz, Joet Gonzalez, and Eduardo Baez. In February, he became a three-division world champion with a ninth-round knockout victory over Liam Wilson.
Valdez (31-1, 23 KOs), from Nogales, represented Mexico at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. The 32-year-old captured his first world title in July 2016 with a second-round stoppage win over Matias Rueda. In February 2021, he became a two-division world champion with a 10
th-round knockout against Miguel Berchelt. Valdez suffered his first loss to Shakur Stevenson in April 2022 and is coming off a unanimous decision victory against Adam Lopez in May.
Courtesy: Mikey Williams/Top Rank After a recent training session at The BXNG Club in San Diego, this is what Navarrete said: “The training camp has been intense. The preparation was very tough. Fortunately, we were able to carry it out quite well. I had always done things in a conventional way, but now we have included a physical trainer, Francisco Javier Orozco. This fight with Valdez merited that change, and I will come into this fight much better physically.”
“Winning this fight would boost my career significantly. Personally, I would feel complete. What has been missing in my career is precisely a victory against someone like Valdez. It would fill me with pride to be part of such an iconic fight between Mexicans and come out victorious.” “People know that I throw a lot of punches and that I’m always in attractive fights. Now, with Valdez, I believe it will be twice as spectacular. Valdez is a fighter who doesn’t hold back. We always see him moving forward and throwing punches.” “He says he’s going to knock my head off, but let’s see whose head comes off first. Let’s see what Valdez has to offer, and let’s see how much he can endure and how much I can endure, too.”
