Shakur Stevenson has pumped the brakes following a report that he is in preliminary talks to face Devin Haney.

The two elite Americans each have a claim for pound-for-pound status, both boast undefeated records and are considered amongst the most defensively skilled operators of the modern era.

A weight class or two has always separated them, however, and Haney’s recent move to welterweight – a division which Stevenson says he may arrive at but is in no rush – seemed to make the match-up less likely.

For it to happen, Stevenson said he would want Haney to agree to a catchweight of 144lbs, the same limit he met when beating Jose Ramirez in 2025.

Today, it was reported by The Ring’s Mike Coppinger that discussions had now been opened but that weight was the sticking point, with Stevenson presumably still pushing for that condition but Haney keen on remaining at 147.

However, Stevenson has now responded to Coppinger’s claim, saying on X that there has been no contact between the teams.

“I know fans like to get excited and they could play with y’all heads and manipulate y’all easily, but that rumour is cap for the 2nd time. I haven’t heard one word about that, [I don’t know] what they [trying to] cover up or disguise, but for me and my team we haven’t heard s**t.”

Where Haney and Stevenson go next remains to be seen, with Haney reportedly considering a move to Zuffa Boxing and Stevenson still considering in which division to compete.

For now, it appears any excitement over them meeting each other inside the ropes is premature.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru sent shivers down Delhi Capitals’ spine in their IPL 2026 clash on Monday. In the worst Powerplay display ever, Delhi Capitals scored just 13/6. At one point, DC were reduced to 8/6. The first six wickets were shared between Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood. In the first two overs, DC lost three wickets. Bhuvneshwar Kumar scalped Sahil Parakh (0) on the second ball of the first over, which started the downfall. In the next over, bowled by Josh Hazlewood, KL Rahul (1) and Sameer Rizvi (0) departed. Then, in the third over, Bhuvneshwar came back to dismiss Tristan Stubbs (5) and Axar Patel (0). In the fourth over, Nitish Rana was picked off by Josh Hazlewood. The scorecard then read 8/6 in 3.5 overs. DC ultimately scored 13/6 in Powerplay, and were all out for 75 in 16.3 overs.

Virat Kohli was ecstatic after the dismissals.

Woke up, chose swing, and completely dismantled the batting

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Scorching powerplay spells from Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar helped defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) bundle out hosts Delhi Capitals (DC) for just 75 runs in 16.3 overs at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Monday.

DC was down and out at 8/6 within the first four overs. But it was a valuable knock from Abishek Porel (30 in 33 balls, with three fours) and brief cameos from David Miller (19) and Kyle Jamieson (12) that gave the score some respectability as DC managed to go past their opponent’s record of the lowest IPL total ever (49).

Putting DC to bat first, Bhuvneshwar Kumar got RCB off to a dream start, uprooting debutant Sahil Parakh’s middle-stump for a two-ball duck. DC was 0/1 in 0.2 overs.

In the next over, Josh Hazlewood started by getting the crucial wicket of KL Rahul, who top-edged a pull attempt into the hands of Jitesh Sharma for just one, while Sameer Rizvi also nicked one to Jitesh on first ball itself. DC was 2/3 in 1.2 overs.

Tristan Stubbs released some pressure with a four. However, in next over, he poked at a Bhuvneshwar outswinger, caught by Devdutt Padikkal at slips for a three-ball five. Skipper Axar Patel was also adjudged to be caught behind by Jitesh for a three-ball duck. DC had an absolute horror movie of a start, at 7/5 in 2.4 overs.

Hazlewood got his third in the third over, as Nitish Rana tried avoiding a bumper, but the ball got some glove on it and went into Padikkal’s hands at gully. DC was 9/6 in 3.5 overs, engulfed by a tsunami of wickets.

At the end of the power play, DC was 13/6, with David Miller and Abishek Porel at the crease. This was only the second instance of a team losing six wickets within the powerplay in IPL history, after Kochi Tuskers Kerala slumped to 29/6 against Deccan Chargers back in the 2011 edition, as per a stat from CricViz.

Miller and Porel started to build a partnership, getting four each against Rasikh Salam Dar in the seventh over. In the ninth over, Miller tried to dominate the young pacer with two fours, but Rasikh managed to have the last laugh, getting Miller’s toe-end of the bat and the ball landed safely in Jitesh’s hands again. Miller was gone for an 18-ball 19. DC was 43/7 in nine overs.

At the end of 10 overs, DC was 46/7, with Porel (18*) and Kyle Jamieson (1*) unbeaten.

A six sailing over deep square leg by Kyle Jamieson helped DC bring the 50-run mark in 10.2 overs and he scored a four too. However, he became Krunal’s victim for a 13-ball 12, trapped lbw, with DC at 62/8 in 12.3 overs.

Suyash Sharma bowled Kuldeep Yadav through the gates for 10-ball three, with DC down to 71/9 in 15.4 overs. Hazlewood ended Porel’s resistance at 33-ball 30, cleaning up DC for 75 in 16.3 overs.

Hazlewood’s 4/12 in 3.3 overs and Bhuvneshwar’s 3/5 in three overs were the highlights, while Krunal, Rasikh and Suyash also got a wicket each.

With ANI inputs

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IPL 2026 | Delhi Capitals Wins By 6 Wickets Against Mumbai Indians: Redemption For Sameer Rizvi

Finnish forward Miikka Muurinen announced his commitment to John Calipari’s Arkansas on Monday. The five-star prospect’s commitment sent the Razorbacks’ 2026 recruiting class to No. 1 nationally, per ESPN.

The 19-year-old plays for Partizan Belgrade in Serbia after spending time in multiple high schools in the US. His announcement triggered reactions from fans, many of whom took to X to post their comments.

“Pure bag chase kid, doesn’t care if team wins or loses,” wrote Jtacosh.

“One of the worst players I’ve ever seen,” wrote The Kentucky Network.

Snoddy commented:

“All that yapping Cal did about Euro players just to go and get one

Justdiehappy wrote:

“Cal won’t know how to use him. His offense is the simple form of the dribble drive motion offense. May get to the sweet 16 tho.”

“How could anyone get excited about Calipari’s roster? He could literally pick 5 of WHOEVER HE WANTS… and find a way to make them underachievers,” John Coy commented.

Double A Ron wrote:

“It’s another final four or bust year for Coach Cal with this roster. If he doesn’t make it I’m sure the fan base will still be excited.”

Tracing Miikka Muurinen’s recruitment by Arkansas

Miikka Muurinen had taken an official visit to Arkansas in the fall of 2024 before leaving for Europe. He noted the Razorbacks have consistently maintained interest in him since the visit over a year ago.

“Since my visit a year and a half ago, they’ve been consistent and committed to recruiting me,” he said. “They’ve always shown interest. They’ve been very consistent, and they’ve gotten to know me as a person. That’s been very important to me.

“When I left my Arkansas visit, I was not only excited about the program but also about the people, and I said to myself, those are the type of people I want to be around on a daily basis.”

Although his absence from the US means he’s unranked, an ESPN report estimated his scouting grade of 95 would have put him in the top-five.

Miikka Muurinen has earned appearances for Partizan this season, including six in EuroLeague. He has played for the Finland senior team in 15 games, including eight in the FIBA EuroBasket last summer where he averaged 6.6 points.

Muurinen played this month’s Nike Hoop Summit on the World Team, scoring 10 points and grabbing eight rebounds.