Canelo: ‘Saturday night, I’m going to make history’

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Mexican superstar and unified WBA/WBC/WBO Super Middleweight World Champion Canelo Álvarez and undefeated IBF Super Middleweight World Champion Caleb “Sweethands” Plant made their grand arrivals in Las Vegas on Tuesday, before they meet in a historic showdown that headlines a SHOWTIME PPV this Saturday, November 6 in a Premier Boxing Champions event from the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

With fight week officially underway, Canelo and Plant move closer to their long-awaited opportunity to stamp their names in the history books as the first undisputed 168-pound world champion of the four-belt era.

At Tuesday’s event at MGM Grand, each fighter declared their intention of making history and emerging victorious Saturday night.

“It means a lot to me to win this fight for my legacy,” said Canelo. “That’s why we are here. He’s a good fighter with a lot of skills, but that’s nothing new for me. Saturday night, I’m going to make history.”

“I’ve dedicated my life to this sport,” said Plant. “I’ve sacrificed a lot. We’re happy to be here, but we’re not just happy to be here. We are here to win those belts and become the first undisputed super middleweight champion of all time.”

Photo: Ryan Hafey/Premier Boxing Champions

Cavs’ Allen: ‘We want people to look at us and say, ‘We need to bring our A game’

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Winning on the road is always tricky in the NBA and even more difficult for a young team. However, on Monday, the Cleveland Cavaliers(4-4) ended their successful road trip with a victory.

The Cavaliers defeated the Charlotte Hornets 113-110 at Spectrum Center to end their five-game road trip 3-2. 

Cleveland led by as many as 19 points on Monday night, including a season-high 40-point first quarter. The Cavaliers had six players in double figures. Charlotte(5-3) got back into the game and threatened late, but it wasn’t enough.

Here is the Great, Not so Great, and the Bottom Line of the Cavs’ win over the Hornets.

The Great for the Cavaliers:

Jarrett Allen set the tone for Cleveland on Monday night. He led the Cavaliers with a team-high 24 points(9/13 FG) and a game-high 16 rebounds. Allen had 15 points in the first quarter, which is a new career-high in points in a quarter. 

-Evan Mobley finished the five-game road trip on a high note after scoring only two points against Phoenix on Saturday night. The rookie had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Mobley also added two steals and a block.

First-quarter: Cleveland scored a season-high 40 points in the quarter. They shot 51% from the field. They forced eight Hornets’ turnovers, which led to 12 Cleveland points.

-Lauri Markkanen had season-highs in points(21) and blocks(3). He also grabbed eight rebounds against Charlotte, and while he did not shoot(7/19 FG) it well on Monday, he did impact the game in other areas.

-Cedi Osman was great for the Cavs off the bench. He scored 13 points(4/5 from three-point range). Cleveland needed others to step up without Kevin Love(Health & Safety Protocols) and Isaac Okoro(hamstring), and Osman did just that.

-Defense: Cleveland set season highs in steals (12) and blocks (8). 

Not so Great for the Cavaliers:

-Cleveland had 16 turnovers against Charlotte. The Cavs have to do a better job of protecting the ball.

Bottom Line:

What an excellent trip for Cleveland. They beat three playoff teams from a year ago(Hornets, Clippers, Nuggets) and were in a position to beat the Lakers and Suns. On paper, you thought the Cavs would maybe get one game on this trip, but they got three wins, and now they go home happy.

“Over the past few years it’s been like, ‘Oh, it’s the Cavs, it’s an off night.’ I’m just being honest, that’s how people looked at us,” Allen said. “But know we want people to look at us and say, ‘We need to bring our A game.'”

What’s next:

The Cavaliers head home to battle the Blazers on Wednesday night.

Best of the Rest:

Collin Sexton had 17 points and seven rebounds, and Darius Garland added 16 points, four assists, and three steals.

Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball had 30 points, seven rebounds, and six assists, and Terry Rozier had 23 and six rebounds.

76ers’ Rivers on win over Blazers: ‘I thought every single guy did something to help us win the game”

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The Philadelphia 76ers(5-2) made it three in a row after defeating the Portland Trail Blazers(3-4), 113-103, on Monday night at the Wells Fargo Center. 

Without their top two leading scorers in Joel Embiid(rest) and Tobias Harris(Health and Safety Protocols), the 76ers were still able to get it done. Philadelphia had seven players in double figures led by Seth Curry’s 23 points.

The Sixers had a 10-point lead in the fourth before the Blazers cut it to three with just over four minutes left. However, Philly would close the game on a 9-2 run to get the victory.

Here is the Great, Not so Great, and Bottom line of Philly’s win over Portland.

The Great for the 76ers:

-Seth Curry scored seven of his 23 points in the fourth. This was Curry’s third game of 20 points or more this season. He was 10/17 from the field, including 3/10 from downtown.

-Georges Niang had a season-high 21 points, grabbed five rebounds and five assists off the bench. Niang had his first 20-5-5 game of his career. He’s been a great addition off Philly’s bench and was huge on Monday night.

-Andre Drummond stepped in for Embiid and was big-time against the Blazers. The nine-year veteran had a loaded stat line with 14 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists, five steals, and one block. This is the first game a player has posted a 10-15-5-5 line in the league since the 2018-19 season (Stathead).

Turnovers: Philadelphia forced 15 Portland turnovers, with 11 coming by way of the steal. The 76ers scored 17 points off turnovers on Monday night. 

Sharing is caring: Without Embiid and Harris, Philadelphia needed to share the ball and get everybody involved. The Sixers had a team season-high 34 assists of 43 field goals. Since the 2017-18 season, Philadelphia is 67-10, when they have 30-plus assists. (Stathead).

“Yeah, it was great. I was joking with Michael Rubin; I said, ‘you only had $105 million not in the game tonight,” 76ers head coach Doc Rivers said after the game. “So, it was just a good team effort. The guys, we went with some crazy lineups—a lot of small ball. [Andre Drummond] was fantastic in his role. It was one of those games where I thought every single guy did something to help us win the game. They kind of stay within their roles. They understood what we needed. Getting to the paint. Creating plays.”

The Not So Great for the 76ers:

The fans: With Ben Simmons still on the roster, the fans chanting “We want Lillard” is a little inappropriate. However, I get it, but in the end, Lillard is a Blazer, and you don’t yell for an opposing player to come to Philly while he’s on another team’s roster.

Bottom Line:

This was a game the 76ers would have lost last season. Drummond is the best backup center Philly has had for Embiid, and he paid dividends last night. Great win for the 76ers, and it showed how much deeper Philadelphia is than a year ago. 

What’s next:

Philadelphia concludes their four-game homestand on Wednesday against the new-look Chicago Bulls.

Best of the Rest:

Furkan Korkmaz added 15 points and five assists in place of Harris, and Shake Milton scored 10 points off the bench.

Norman Powell led the Blazers with 22 points, and C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard added 20 points apiece; Lillard also had 10 assists and seven rebounds.

 

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Giants lose winnable game against Chiefs

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On Monday night in Kansas City(4-4), the New York Giants(2-6) battled hard and almost defeated the Chiefs, but they fell just short and would lose to Kansas City(4-4) 20-17.

The Giants are 0-6 under Joe Judge, and Daniel Jones is 0-8 in primetime. The Giants have one more scheduled night game on Monday, November 22, at Tampa Bay.

After trailing 14-10 in the fourth quarter, New York would have an eight-play, 57-yard drive, which Evan Engram finished off with a five-yard touchdown reception to take a 17-14 lead. Kansas City would tie the game with a field goal midway through the fourth. 

Late in the fourth, the New York Giants appeared to have gotten a big turnover when corner Darnay Holmes intercepted Patrick Mahomes, but unfortunately for the Giants, LB Oshane Ximines jumped offsides. Kansas City would finish off the drive with a Harrison Butker 34-yard game-winning field goal. 

“You just can’t have penalties like that. Point blank,” Judge said. “Or any penalties we had. That comes down to how we execute on the field and make sure we coach it better, so that doesn’t happen again. We have to do a better job all the way around. There were some situations that came up throughout the game that we have to make sure to eliminate to give ourselves a better chance of success.”

Ximines added: “I’m not making no excuses or anything, but I thought they had some movement on the offensive side of the ball, but my opinion doesn’t matter. It’s what the ref sees. I was offsides; I’m accountable for that. It’s never acceptable to do that. And it goes against everything we’re building as a team. We’re a team that doesn’t like to make mistakes. That’s something we really harp on. I’m looking to make up for that.””

The Giants had 10 penalties against the Chiefs, which marked their second-highest total of the season.

Unfortunately, the Giants did what many bad teams do, find ways to lose. This was a very winnable game for New York, but the Giants could not win a second straight game.

The Giants host the Las Vegas Raiders Sunday in the final game before their bye.

 

 

Washington’s Rivera is hoping the team will turn things around in second half of season

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The Washington Football Team head into their bye week on a four-game losing streak after falling to the Denver Broncos on the road 17-10.

During this losing streak, Washington has played some pretty good teams, including losses to the Packers, Saints, and the Chiefs. When they return after the bye week, Washington hosts the world champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Last season, after eight games, Washington was 2-6, but they finished the season 5-3, including a four-game winning streak, and ultimately, Washington was able to win the NFC East. 

Over the years, Ron Rivera-coached teams have done well in the second half of the season, and on Monday, Rivera explained why that is the case.

“Well, just because I’d like to believe that as we progress through the year, through the season, especially my early years as a head coach, a lot of things seem to come together,” Rivera said. “That’s what I kind of feel with last year; things kind of came to go at the right time for us. I like to believe we are on the same path. Just because I think some of the things that we’ve done have helped us to trend in the right direction. I mean, obviously offensively, we’ve outgained the last two teams we’ve played. Unfortunately, we just haven’t outscored them. And that’s important. 

“Defensively, we’ve been able to hold certain aspects of our opponents in check. We played against a couple of good running teams, and we’ve held them both under a hundred yards rushing. We played a very dynamic quarterback in Aaron Rodgers and kept him under his numbers. We still haven’t won. But the thing that you can sit there and say is it’s coming together. It’s not where we want to be, obviously, but if we continue to trend in the right way, we have a chance. So that’s really what we’re looking at.”

Health has not been on Washington’s side this season. Key players that Washington was counting on this season like Ryan Fitzpatrick, Curtis Samuel, Brandon Scherff, Logan Thomas, and Sam Cosmi have missed time.

Rivera is hoping to get those key players back on the field at some point this season.

“We haven’t had the guys on the field that we feel could really help us to play better and hopefully win some football games,” Rivera said. “I think it’s going to be huge, being able to get Brandon [Scherff] and Sam [Cosmi] back on the football field. I think it could be very helpful having a healthy Curtis(Samuel) and Logan(Thomas) out there working together with our offensive guys. I think defensively, trying to figure out how we are, where we are. That’s a little bit more of a work in progress. I think some of the things that we’ve done lately have really shown that we have the potential to get it going again, but we just got to keep working on that. But finding who we are got a lot to do with the guys that we haven’t been able to use and play with, So I think coming out of this, we’ll see how we respond to it, especially if we do get those guys back on the football field.”

Fortunately for Washington, the schedule does get a little easier as they play the Eagles twice, Giants, but they still have games against the Cowboys(2X), Panthers, and Las Vegas. So, it should be interesting to see if Washington can turn things around in the second half of the season.

Mavs’ Kidd on ‘Logo Luka’: ‘It was a big-time shot, with the clock running down’

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The Dallas Mavericks(4-2) continued their early-season dominance at home when they defeated the Sacramento Kings(3-3) 105-99 at American Airlines Center on Sunday.

Dallas took a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter and held on down the stretch to defeat the Kings.

The Mavericks have started 3-0 at home for the first time since 2013-14. Dallas won their first seven home games in 2013-14.

Here’s is the Great, Not so Great, and Bottom Line of Dallas’ win over Sacramento.

The Great for the Mavericks:

-Luka Doncic led the Mavs in points, assists, and rebounds for the second time this season (including ties) after recording 23 points, eight rebounds, and 10 assists. This also marked Dončić’s 128th career game with 20+ points, 5+ rebounds, and 5+ assists, which sets him two such games away from tying Dirk Nowitzki’s franchise record of 130 games of 20-5-5.

Late in the game, with Mavericks leading 92-89, we saw “Logo Luka” when he hit a 36-foot three-point shot with the shot clock winding down that helped Dallas close out the game.

It was Doncic’s only made three of the game.

“Great recovery then good offense by a good player,” Mavericks head coach said about Doncic’s shot. “It was a big-time shot, with the clock running down; we all know he has the type of range. It was a big basket too. If I recall, I think that’s the only three he made. It was needed.”

Doncic added: “More confident than all my threes and my free throws. That shot goes in, and then all my normal shots can’t go in. I’ve got to work on those normal shots.”

–First-quarter: For the first time this season, Dallas led after the first quarter. The Mavericks led 31-22 after the first. Maxi Kleber led the way with 7 points in the quarter on 3/3 shooting.

-Tim Hardaway Jr. finished with 16 points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals. This is his third game of the season with 15+ points, and the Mavericks are 3-0 in those games.

-Dorian Finney-Smith had 13 points and six rebounds tonight. Finney-Smith has recorded 6+ rebounds in five of his six starts.

-Dwight Powell compiled 12 points and eight rebounds. The Mavericks were 10-2 last season when Powell finished in double figures and are already 3-0 when he scores 10+ this season.

-Frank Ntilikina went 4-6 from the field, including 2-2 from deep, as he finished with 12 points, three rebounds, two assists, and a steal. Ntilikina finished a point shy of tying his season-high from last season (13, accomplished twice).

-Defense: Dallas held Sacramento to 39.6% from the floor and to 7/36(19%) from three-point range.

Not so Great for the Mavericks:

-Maxi Kleber left the game in the first quarter with a back injury and did not return. Kleber was starting for Kristaps Porzingis, who missed the last four games with back tightness.

Bottom Line:

Good teams play well at home. Dallas got a solid victory over the Kings, and they had a balanced attack with five players in double figures. The goal for Dallas is to get one of the top spots in the West. To do that, they need to establish a true home-court advantage at American Airlines Center.

What’s Next:

Dallas hosts the Miami Heat in a nationally-televised game on Tuesday night.

Best of the Rest:

Richaun Holmes led Sacramento with 22 points and 13 rebounds. It was his fourth double-double of the season and the 49th of his career, and Harrison Barnes had 15 points and 10 rebounds for Sacramento, marking his third double-double of the season.

Lomachenk0-Commey set for December 11 at MSG

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Three-weight kingpin Vasiliy “Loma” Lomachenko, the Ukrainian virtuoso who saves his best for the New York City spotlight, hopes his next oversized challenge is not a bridge too far. Lomachenko returns to Madison Square Garden on Saturday, December 11 for a 12-round lightweight showdown against former world champion Richard “RC” Commey.

Lomachenko-Commey marks boxing’s return to the “Big Room” at Madison Square Garden for the first time in nearly two years, when Terence Crawford defended his welterweight title with a riveting knockout over Egidijus “Mean Machine” Kavaliauskas. In the 10-round co-feature, undefeated heavyweight sensation Jared “The Real Big Baby” Anderson will battle Oleksandr Teslenko.

Lomachenko-Commey and Anderson-Teslenko will air live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes (simulcast on ESPN+) at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT following the 2021 Heisman Ceremony. Puerto Rican junior middleweight standout Xander Zayas and middleweight prospect Nico Ali Walsh, grandson of Muhammad Ali, will also see action on this special New York City fight night.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with DiBella Entertainment, tickets starting at $56 go on sale, Tuesday, Nov. 2 at 12 p.m. ET and can be purchased by visiting Ticketmaster.com or MSG.com.

“It is only fitting that the great Lomachenko headlines boxing’s highly anticipated return to Madison Square Garden. However, Richard Commey can never be counted out, as he’s a tough fighter who carries huge power in both hands,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “Jared Anderson is a future heavyweight champion, but I expect Teslenko to be his toughest challenge to date. I also can’t wait to see what Xander and Nico do next, as they are two of the most charismatic and exciting young fighters in the sport.”

Lomachenko (15-2, 11 KOs) has authored many of his most memorable moments under the MSG lights. He’s fought three times at the adjoining Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, knocking out Roman Martinez in 2016 to become a two-weight world champion, forcing fellow two-time Olympic gold medalist Guillermo Rigondeaux to quit in 2017, and unifying lightweight world titles in December 2018 with a unanimous decision over Jose Pedraza. Lomachenko had a memorable bout against Jorge Linares at Madison Square Garden in May 2018, becoming a three-weight world champion when he knocked out the Venezuelan star the 10th round with a body shot. He bounced back from his 2020 undisputed lightweight title defeat to Teofimo Lopez with June’s ninth-round stoppage over Japanese stalwart Masayoshi Nakatani.

Lomachenko said, “It is always special when I fight at Madison Square Garden, where so many great moments in my career have taken place. Richard Commey is a former world champion, an opponent I will not underestimate. I expect the best version of Commey, and I will be prepared for whatever he brings on December 11.”

As has become his lightweight custom, Lomachenko will enter the ring as the smaller man. Commey (30-3, 27 KOs) has a nearly two-inch height advantage and 5.5 inches in reach. The New York City resident held the IBF lightweight world title in 2019, but in December of that year, he was stopped in two rounds by Lopez at Madison Square Garden. Commey took nearly 14 months off, returning in February to knock out Jackson Marinez in six rounds. One of the division’s most dangerous punchers, his other two losses have come via split decision to Robert Easter Jr. and Denis Shafikov. The winner of this fight becomes a logical world title challenger in 2022.

Commey said, “I want to thank my team of Michael Amoo-Bediako, Lou DiBella, and Keith Connolly for getting me this opportunity. Ever since the Lopez fight, all I have thought about is becoming a two-time world champion. This fight against Lomachenko will get me one step closer to my goal. I also want to thank Bob Arum and Top Rank for the opportunity to again grace the stage at Madison Square Garden, one of boxing’s most iconic venues. I know that most people consider me the underdog, but I am aiming to prove them all wrong and make Ghana proud once again.”

Anderson (10-0, 10 KOs), from Toledo, Ohio, rose to prominence due to his highlight-reel knockouts and status as heavyweight champion Tyson Fury’s most trusted sparring partner. He has scored three knockouts in 2021 and had his most high-profile assignment Oct. 9 on the Fury-Deontay Wilder III PPV undercard. Anderson opened the PPV telecast with a second-round blitzing over the previously undefeated Vladimir Tereshkin. Teslenko (17-1, 13 KOs), a 6’4, 220-pound prospect from Ukraine, built a 16-0 record before being knocked out in five rounds by Shawndell Winters in December 2019. He rebounded in fine form, knocking out Cesar David Crenz in three rounds in June 2021.

Anderson said, “I’ve made my mark in Las Vegas over the last two years and now it’s time to steal the show in my Madison Square Garden debut on December 11. The Mecca of Boxing holds so much history, and I can’t wait to add my name to list of legends who’ve fought there.”

Zayas (11-0, 8 KOs) can wrap up the 2021 Prospect of the Year award with an impressive showing at Madison Square Garden. The San Juan native is 5-0 in 2021, most recently knocking out Dan Karpency in four rounds on the Jamel Herring-Shakur Stevenson card Oct. 23 in Atlanta.

Ali Walsh (2-0, 2 KOs) turned pro Aug. 14 with a first-round knockout and makes his debut in the building where his grandfather fought some of his most legendary fights, including “The Fight of the Century” against Joe Frazier in 1971 and the 1974 Frazier rematch.  Ali Walsh shined alongside Zayas in Atlanta, notching a third-round stoppage over James Westley II.

Jags’ Lawrence on loss to Seahawks: ‘We played like crap today’

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After defeating the Dolphins two weeks ago, there was a lot of optimism for the Jaguars(1-6) as they traveled to Seattle to play the Russell Wilson-less Seahawks, who were on a three-game losing streak. 

However, even without Wilson, the Seahawks(3-5), led by backup quarterback Geno Smith(20-24, 195 yards, three touchdowns(one rushing), had no problems with Jacksonville as they defeated them 31-7 at Lumen Field.

“Just disappointed, Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer said postgame. “Obviously, we’ve got to play better; we’ve got to prepare better. I didn’t see that coming. I saw a good week of practice; guys were fresh off a bye week. We got down 14-0, and we got out of a . . . we’re not built to just be a throw team, and we got out of the run game, and then the penalties were nonsense. I don’t know if it was the noise or what was the problem. But we’ve got to get that corrected.”

Jacksonville had a hard time on offense and did not score until late in the fourth quarter when they scored a meaningless touchdown. The Jaguars were sloppy and committed 12 penalties. According to Meyer, this game was a step back for the team.

“I felt like every week we made great strides,” Meyer said. “I thought the team got better and better and better. Today was a step back. We tried to build on the momentum of the win because we played pretty decently in London, and offensively Trevor had one of his better games, and offensively we played better, and defensively we played better. We just went backward. On the positive, we held them to 60 some (rushing) yards, got three sacks – our defense just kept swinging. Just placed in horrendous field position. The defense hung in there against some talented receivers and talented players.”

Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who was 32/54 for 238 yards with a touchdown and interception, agreed with Meyer that Sunday’s loss to Seattle was a step back.

“Guys that are open and not giving them a catchable ball, I think that’s all on me. So there was three right there. And then guys just making plays when you need to make plays. That’s me on the third and fourth down, that’s receivers on some catches, it’s everybody. [Offensive] line, running backs, tight ends, everybody. We took a step back, I think, in making the plays that we need to make as far as just, good teams do that and good players do that. It all starts with me…

“I think it just goes to show if you don’t come out ready to play and you don’t play well; this can happen to anybody on any week. It doesn’t matter who you’re playing, you just have to play well, and we didn’t. It’s not concerning; for me, it’s not. Because I’m in that locker room, I’m with all those guys and see how hard they work, how they prepare. I know probably from the outside looking in, it might be. But it’s not concerning; it’s just we played like crap today. That’s going to happen every now and then, but we can’t let this happen again, for sure.”

Jacksonville was without one of their key weapons in RB James Robinson(heel) for most of the game, but this was a very winnable game. However, the Jaguars are a work in progress, so moments like these will happen. Jacksonville will try to bounce back next week when they host the Bills

 

Eagles’ Sirianni on win over Lions: ‘ We were able to push some guys around up front’

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On Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles(3-5) bounced back when they defeated the Detroit Lions(0-8) 44-6 at Ford Field to snap their two-game losing streak.

Football games are won in the trenches, and the Eagles controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Offensively, Philadelphia rushed for 236 yards(the most the Eagles had since they ran for 256 yards against the Cowboys in 2014) and four touchdowns. Boston Scott ran for 60 yards and two touchdowns, while Jordan Howard, who made his regular-season debut after spending the season on the practice squad, finished with 57 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

This is only the second time in Eagles’ history that two players have rushed for multiple touchdowns in a game.

In addition, Jalen Hurts, who was 9/14 for 103 yards, had seven carries for 71 yards. 

“We were able to push some guys around up front,” Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said postgame.

Defensively, the Eagles got after Lions quarterback Jared Goff. Philadelphia sacked Goff six times, including two by DE Josh Sweat. The Eagles had four of their six sacks in the first half. In addition, they allowed 57 yards on the ground. Philadelphia limited Detroit to only 228 yards of total offense and forced a fumble, which was returned 33 yards by former Lions corner Darius Slay for a touchdown.

This was a complete performance by the Eagles, and while the Lions are winless this season, they have played teams tough at home, so give Philadelphia credit for routing the Lions.

Now, the Eagles hope to build on this win next week at home against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Best of the Rest:

-The Eagles scored 44 points, marking the first time Philadelphia has posted 40+ points in a game since 12/10/17 at Los Angeles Rams (43). It is also the most points scored since 11/5/17 vs. Denver (51) and the most scored on the road since 11/3/13 at Oakland (49).

-Philadelphia’s 44-6 victory is the largest margin of victory (38) since 12/22/13 vs. Chicago (43) and its largest margin of victory on the road since 11/8/81 at St. Louis Cardinals (42).

Ennis: ‘I want the top guys: Spence Jr., Ugas, Porter, Crawford, Thurman

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In the co-main event, rising welterweight star Jaron “Boots” Ennis (28-0, 26 KOs) scored an explosive first-round knockout over former title challenger Thomas Dulorme (25-6-1, 16 KOs), the 12th first-round knockout of Ennis’ young career.

“It was a good knockout,” said Ennis. “You know me, I wanted to show my skills and abilities. I’m just thankful for this opportunity. Now it’s on to the next. Let’s get the big names.”

With the dominating performance, the Philadelphia-native Ennis became the first fighter to stop the durable Dulorme since Terence Crawford accomplished the feat in 2015. Ennis found his opening with a big overhand right that caught Dulorme and sent him down for the first knockdown.

“We got it early, that’s OK by me,” said Ennis. “We don’t get paid for overtime. I knew it was over after that first knockdown. I just had to take my time and not rush anything. Everything I did today we worked on in the gym.

Dulorme was able to get to his feet, and tried to turn the tide throwing big power punches after the knockdown, but was quickly met with a punishing one-two punctuated by a right hook that sent him down again. Dulorme was unable to beat the count as referee Mike Ortega halted the fight just 1:49 into the round.

Now, Ennis wants the best at 147.

“I’ve been ready for a world title two years ago,” said Ennis. “I want the top guys: Errol Spence Jr., Yordenis Ugas, Shawn Porter, Terence Crawford, Keith Thurman. I’m ranked No. 3 in the IBF, so Errol Spence Jr. is who I want next.”

Photo: Nabeel Ahmad/Premier Boxing Champions