WBC Featherweight World Champion Gary Russell Jr. (28-1, 17 KOs) is going home on May 19 as he will battle Joseph “JoJo” Diaz Jr. (26-0, 14 KOs) live on SHOWTIME from MGM National Harbor in Maryland.

The Washington D.C. native has big plans for his career. He wants to dispatch Diaz, unify at 126, and eventually move up to fight Mikey Garcia:

“As far as a hit list of my next opponents goes, we are first going to take care of JoJo,” Russell said at a press conference on Tuesday. “I would love to get a unification bout with Leo Santa Cruz after that. If we don’t get that, I plan on moving up in weight and challenging whoever has the title in that division. You want to know who I really want, though? I want Mikey Garcia.”

Russell, 29, also has some interest in WBA junior lightweight champ Gervonta Davis:

“Of course I would entertain a fight with Gervonta Davis,” Russell said “We’re cool. He’s somebody that I actually watched grow up and develop as a fighter, but you have to stay in your lane. When I move up in weight, he’s got to get out of the way or he’s going to get ran over too.”

When it’s all said and done, Russell would love to avenge his only loss, which would be a rematch against Vasyl Lomachenko:

“My last fight will be against (Vasyl) Lomachenko. I want to conclude my career with breaking my foot off of him. That will be the conclusion of it. I’m willing to wait, though. Right now, we’re good.”

Russell has a lot of ability and talent. He has the potential to be a star in the sport, but he can’t overlook Diaz on May 19.

Photo: Rosie Cohe/SHOWTIME

Philadelphia 76ers C Joel Embiid has established himself as one of the better young talents in the NBA. The only concern about Embiid is his health. In his first three years in the NBA, Embiid played in only 31 games, but this season has been a totally different story.

Embiid, 24, who was an All-Star this season, has played in 63 of the team’s 74 games. Unfortunately for Embiid, he probably won’t play another game in the 2017-18 regular season.

Embiid is expected to miss 2 to 4 weeks with a fractured orbital bone in his left and concussion after colliding into his teammate Markelle Fultz in the Sixers’ 118-101 victory over the Knicks on Wednesday night.

The Sixers have clinched a playoff berth and are currently the 4th-seed in the Eastern Conference. Philly is a 1/2 game behind the Cavs for the 3rd seed.

If the playoffs were to start today, the Sixers would play the Indiana Pacers. If Embiid is back in two weeks, he would be ready for the first-round, but if it’s four weeks, he will miss a considerable amount of the first-round, which would dramatically have an impact on the Sixers chances in the playoffs.

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith says not to worry.

Listen to what Smith had to say about Embiid on ESPN’s First Take today:

Should Philly fans be worried about their playoff chances after Joel Embiid's injury?@stephenasmith doesn't think so. pic.twitter.com/VnSOtt4i87

— First Take (@FirstTake) March 30, 2018

Charlotte Hornets C Dwight Howard was exceptional last night in the Hornets’ 111-105 comeback victory over the Nets.

Howard finished the game with 32 points and 30 rebounds. The last person to have a 30-30 game was Kevin Love in 2010.

Today, the NBA announced that Howard would be suspended one game for picking up his 16th technical foul.

Howard received his most recent technical foul with 10:48 remaining in the third quarter against the Nets last night.  Howard will serve his suspension March 22 when the Hornets play host to the Memphis Grizzlies at Spectrum Center.

After beating Francisco Fonseca on the Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor undercard last summer, Gervonta Davis(19-0, 18 KOs) caught a lot of heat.

First, he missed weight, which caused him to lose his IBF 130-pound belt. Next, he was not very sharp in beating Fonseca, and finally, he beat Fonseca by a controversial knockout after hitting Fonseca behind the head.

Now, Davis, 23, is looking to redeem himself. He has a chance to get another belt when he battles Jesus Cuellar for the WBA 130-pound belt on April 21 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

“Coming off not a good performance from me last August on Floyd Mayweather’s undercard, I feel I have to prove myself to show people that I am a champion,” Davis told TMZ Sports. “I am here to stay. I am ready to take over the sport of boxing.”

In order for Davis to be at his best, he felt he needed to prepare differently for his fight against Cuellar:

“I’m definitely focused. This is the first camp I (did) not have in my hometown. I actually have a chef. I’m actually getting up in the morning doing my running,” Davis said. “I had great sparring; I believe this is going to be a hell of a fight.

‘The best of me? Not yet. The best the people have seen, yes.”

Davis has a lot of ability, but if he wants to take over the sport of boxing, he needs to stay focused in and out of the ring. If he can do that, he might be able to make some noise in the sport of boxing.

Photo: Idris Erba/Mayweather Promotions

BROOKLYN (March 1, 2018) – WBC Heavyweight World Champion Deontay Wilder(39-0, 38 KOs) and unbeaten contender Luis Ortiz(28-0, 24 KOs) exchanged words and went face to face at the final press conference in Manhattan on Thursday.

Ortiz was scheduled to fight Wilder back in November, but after a positive test for a banned substance, which Ortiz said came from his high blood pressure medicine, the fight was canceled.

Fortunately for Ortiz, the WBC agreed with him, and now, he has been given another opportunity to fight for Wilder’s WBC belt on Saturday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn(SHOWTIME).

Today, Ortiz talked about this opportunity and what he expects to happen on Saturday:

“I never say anything bad about fighters because inside the ring, anything can happen,” Ortiz said on Thursday. “I respect everyone who steps into the ring. This is my opportunity. This is my time. Deontay is a great champion but this is my chance.

“Like I always say, this is my time and it’s going to be a great triumph. This is big for all of Cuban boxing and I will make my country proud.

“This is going to be like two trains on the same track about to collide. I’m going to win and I’m going to take his belt.

“This is not a video game. This is not using controllers. You have to actually step into the ring with me on Saturday night.

“Deontay is scared. He’s talking a lot of nonsense. He’s worried about what I’m going to do. This is my time. I’m going to show everyone.

“I’m 100 percent ready to go. Sparring has been amazing and I’m totally prepared for Deontay Wilder. Deontay’s biggest mistake is that he talks too much.

“I looked into his eyes and I knew that I’m not going to lose this opportunity. I’m going to be the first Cuban and the first Latino born outside the country to win a title. Saturday night will be historic.

“The public gave me this opportunity to fight for the title and beat you for your belt. I’m going to make the most of my chance and knock Deontay Wilder out.”

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment and TGB Promotions, start at $50 and are on sale now. To purchase tickets, visit Ticketmaster.com, BarclaysCenter.com, or call 800-745-3000. Tickets for the event can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center.

Photo: Amanda Westcott/SHOWTIME

LAS VEGAS, NEV. (Feb. 15, 2018) – Laila Ali will become the first child of a Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame inductee to be enshrined when she is inducted into the NVBHOF on Saturday, August 18 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

Ali, the daughter of legendary former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, headlines an elite 14-member class.

“I am so excited about our latest class, because we not only do we get to honor some of the greatest boxers ever, but also because of the historic connection between Muhammad Ali and his daughter, Laila,” said Michelle Corrales-Lewis, the CEO of the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame. “Just like her father, who was known as ‘The Greatest,’ Laila was believed by many to be the best female boxer during her career.

“It’s also exciting for us to induct Sen. Harry Reid. Sen. Reid was a boxer himself, and loved the sport and used his influence over the years to help boxing and boxers in his beloved State of Nevada. We can’t wait for our fans to be able to see these great people receive recognition for their amazing careers.”

Of the 14-member class, nine are being elected as boxers and five as non-participants. The living inductees are Laila Ali, Chris Byrd, Todd duBoef, Kevin Kelley, Don Minor, Shane Mosley, Sen. Harry Reid, Jerry Roth and Earnie Shavers.

Alexis Arguello, Henry Armstrong, Jack “Doc” Kearns, Bill Miller and Aaron Pryor will be inducted posthumously.

Here are brief career highlights of the 14 members of the Class of 2018:

• LAILA ALI – Born Dec. 30, 1977 … Was 24-0 with 21 knockouts in career that went from 1999 to 2007. … Her father, Muhammad Ali, is one of the greatest boxers who ever lived and is a member of the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame’s Class of 2015. … At various points in her career, Ali held the IBA, WIBA, IWBF and WBC super middleweight title as well as the IWBF light heavyweight championship. … She became the first woman, along with Jacqui Frazier-Lyde, to headline a boxing pay-per-view when they met in Verona, N.Y., on June 8, 2001. … She fought twice in Nevada, both times in Las Vegas. She stopped Suzy Taylor in the second round on Aug. 17, 2002, and stopped Valerie Mahfood in the eighth on Nov. 8, 2002. … Her husband, Curtis Conway, had an 11-year NFL career with four teams

• ALEXIS ARGUELLO– Born April 19, 1952. Died July 1, 2009. … Arguello was 82-8 with 65 KOs. … Held world championship at featherweight, super featherweight and lightweight. … Lost two bids for a super lightweight title to Aaron Pryor, both of which are among the greatest bouts of the 20^th century. … He was named the No. 1 super featherweight of the 20^th century by The Associated Press. … Was 20^th in a Ring Magazine story on the 100 greatest punchers of all-time. … Made his debut in 1968 and retired for good in 1995. … Arguello was 6-2 in fights in Nevada. … Scored notable wins over Ruben Olivares, Bobby Chacon, Cornelius Boza-Edwards, Jose Luis Ramirez, Jim Watt and Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini. He was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1992.

• HENRY ARMSTRONG– Was born Henry Jackson Jr. on Dec. 12, 1912. Died on Oct. 24, 1988. … Was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. … Held the featherweight, lightweight and welterweight belts simultaneously in 1937 and 1938. … Compiled a record of 151-21-9 with 101 KOs. Widely regarded among the top five boxers who ever lived. … Was niced “Hammerin’ Hank’ and ‘Homicide Hank.’ … Was 27-0 with 26 KOs in 1937 alone. … The following year, he was 14-0 with 10 KOs.

• CHRIS BYRD– Born Aug. 15, 1970 … Was 41-5-1 with 22 KOs as a pro and won a version of the heavyweight title on two occasions. … Lost in the 1988 Olympic Trials at light welterweight to Todd Foster, but made the 1992 U.S. Olympic team. He won a silver medal as a middleweight in Barcelona. … Despite being a smaller heavyweight, fought most of the big names of his era, including Vitali Klitschko, Wladimir Klitschko, Evander Holyfield, Ike Ibeabuchi, David Tua, Alexander Povetkin, Fres Oquendo and Jameel McCline. … Posted a 5-2-1 record in world title bouts … Attended Flint, Mich., Northwestern High School, which also produced two-time boxing gold medalist Claressa Shields. … Was 1-1 in fights in Nevada … Retired in 2010 and has become a trainer.

• TODD duBOEF– Born Aug. 18, 1967 … duBoef is the president of Top Rank, a position he has held since 2005. Joined Top Rank in 1993. … Though Top Rank founder Bob Arum, a member of the inaugural Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame Class of 2013, remains the public face of the promotion, duBoef runs the company on a day-to-day basis and has played a key role in bringing the company into the digital age. … Considers himself a boxing evangelist and points to large crowds and high television ratings for fights around the world as reasons for optimism. … Shepherded a multi-year deal with ESPN to not only get Top Rank regular shows on the powerful all-sports network, but also pre- and post-fight shows as well as regular coverage during the week on the network.

• JACK “DOC” KEARNS– Born Aug. 17, 1882. Died July 7, 1963. … Was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. … Kearns is best known as the long-time manager of heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey. With Dempsey, helped generate the first million-dollar gate in boxing history, when Dempsey fought Georges Carpentier on July 2, 1921. Kearns arranged for Dempsey to fight in Nevada numerous times…  He is given credit for staging the first fight in Las Vegas, a card that had a main event between Archie Moore and Nino Valdes. … After Dempsey, Kearns managed other greats such as Moore, Mickey Walker and Joey Maxim.

• KEVIN KELLEY – Born June 29, 1967 … Nicknamed “The Flushing Flash,” Kelley finished his career with a 60-10-2 mark with 39 KOs. … Defeated Goyo Vargas in Reno on Dec. 4, 1993, to win the WBC featherweight title. … Known for his fast hands and explosive power, Kelley faced most of the top starts of his day. His most memorable bout was a Dec. 19, 1997, loss to Prince Naseem Hamed. Kelley and Hamed were down three times apiece before Hamed finished the fight late in the fourth. … Also fought Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Manuel Medina, Humberto Soto, Derrick Gainer, Luisito Espinoza, Bones Adams and Troy Dorsey. … Has done working as an expert analyst on television since retiring. 

• BILL MILLER– Miller was one of the top promoters in Las Vegas in the 1960s and 1970s. … He promoted a fight involving the legendary Sugar Ray Robinson at The Hacienda on The Strip on July 12, 1965, a bout Robinson lost to Ferd Hernandez. … Miller also promoted shows at The Castaways, but is best known for his weekly shows at The Silver Slipper. The fights began in 1968 and were held every Wednesday night. The series continued into the late 1970s. … Miller was known for promoting evenly matched fights which generated plenty of toe-to-toe slugfests. … He promoted numerous fights involving fellow 2018 Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame inductee Don Minor.

• DON MINOR– Boxing came of age in Las Vegas in the 1960s and Minor was among the more popular fighters on the local circuit of the era. … He was 19-2 with nine knockouts in a brief pro career that began in 1961 and ended in 1965 after a hand injury. … Minor fought of all his fights in Nevada, with 18 in Las Vegas and three in Reno. … His biggest win was a victory over previously unbeaten Ernie Lopez for the North American welterweight title in 1964.

• SHANE MOSLEY– Born Sept. 7, 1971. … Compiled a 49-10-1 record with 41 knockouts. … Scored a pair of victories over long-time rival Oscar De La Hoya. … Held world titles at lightweight, welterweight and super welterweight. … Was a fan favorite because of his power and his fast hands. … Scored notable victories over De La Hoya twice, as well as Fernando Vargas twice, Luis Collazo, Ricardo Mayorga twice, Antonio Margarito and Phillip Holiday. … Suffered losses to Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, Winky Wright, Vernon Forrest, Miguel Cotto and Canelo Alvarez. … He was 15-7 with 12 KOs in world championship fights.

• AARON PRYOR– Born Oct. 20, 1955 and died Oct. 9, 2016. … A member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame, Pryor was 204-16 as an amateur but lost a spot on the fabled 1976 U.S. Olympic boxing team when he was outpointed in the box-offs by Howard Davis Jr. … A powerful puncher with a great chin, Pryor was 39-1 with 35 KOs. His only career loss was by stoppage in 1987 to Bobby Joe Young. Only four of the 40 pro fights he was involved in went to the cards. … He is best known for his pair of victories over Alexis Arguello in 1982 and 1983. He stopped Arguello in the 14^th round in Miami on Nov. 12, 1982 and then knocked out Arguello in the 10^th in a heavily hyped rematch in the outdoor arena at Caesars Palace. … Won the WBA super lightweight title on Aug. 2, 1980, knocking out Antonio Cervantes in four. Pryor made eight defenses of it. He won the IBF super lightweight title by decisioning Nick Furlano on June 22, 1984 and made one defense.

• SEN. HARRY REID– Born Dec. 2, 1939 in Searchlight, NV … Reid is best known as a politician, and served Nevada as a U.S. Senator for 30 years. He was the Senate Majority Leader for eight years. Reid also served in the House of Representatives and was Lieutenant Governor of Nevada. … Reid loved boxing and boxed as an amateur while at Basic High School in Henderson. One of his teachers there, Mike O’Callaghan, served as his boxing coach. O’Callaghan later became Nevada governor with Reid as his lieutenant governor. … Reid played a key behind-the-scenes role in helping boxing promoters and regulars with fights in Nevada. … He was frequently seen at major fights in the state.

• JERRY ROTH– Born May 12, 1941 … Roth was one of boxing’s best judges in a 35-year career that began in 1990. … Among the major fights he judged were the heavyweight title fight between Larry Holmes and Gerry Cooney; Oscar De La Hoya-Felix Trinidad; Julio Cesar Chavez Sr.-Meldrick Taylor I; all three Evander Holyfield-Riddick Bowe heavyweight title fights; Roy Jones-James Toney and Marco Antonio Barrera-Erik Morales III. … Was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame and will be inducted in June. … Was regarded as one of the small handful of the best judges in the world for more than 20 years.

• EARNIE SHAVERS– Born Aug. 31, 1945 … Shavers was one of the most feared punchers in the heavyweight division and was renowned to be the hardest puncher in boxing during his career, which went from 1969 until 1995. … Shavers was 74-14-1 with 68 KOs. … Fought for the heavyweight title twice. Was outpointed by Muhammad Ali on Sept. 29, 1977 at Madison Square Garden. In 1979, he knocked Larry Holmes down in the seventh round of their title fight at Caesars Palace, but Holmes got up to stop Shavers in the 11^th. … Ali nicknamed Shavers “The Acorn.” … His most notable win was a first-round KO of Ken Norton at the Las Vegas Hilton in 1979. … He also knocked out ex-champion Jimmy Ellis in 1973, also in one. … He scored 23 first-round knockouts in his career and ended 50 bouts in the first three.

According to the Kansas City Star, the Chiefs will trade QB Alex Smith to the Redskins.

There is no word on the compensation, and any trade involving Smith, 33, can’t be completed until the first day of the new league year, according to the report.

Smith, who has one year left on his contract, will sign a four-year contract extension with Redskins, according to ESPN

Smith spent five seasons with the Chiefs.

Wow! This means Kirk Cousins will have a new home and means the Patrick Mahomes Era has begun in Kansas City.

Chiefs trade Alex Smith to Washington, saving $17 million https://t.co/dOh2CJwKX0

— The Kansas City Star (@KCStar) January 31, 2018