Dmitry Bivol could be presented with the opportunity to become a two-time undisputed champion, but only if he wins his next outing against Michael Eifert.
The pair will collide at the UMMC Arena, Russia, on May 30, with Bivol returning from back surgery to make a mandatory defence of his unified crown.
Shortly after exacting his revenge over Beterbiev, however, Bivol opted to vacate his WBC world title rather than face mandatory challenger David Benavidez, who was then swiftly elevated from ‘interim’ to full champion. In his first defence, he scored a seventh-round stoppage victory over Anthony Yarde in November.
Now, the 29-year-old is bidding to become a three-division world champion against Gilberto Ramirez, who he will face for the WBO and WBA cruiserweight titles this Saturday.
Regardless of the result, though, Benavidez has expressed an interest in moving back down to 175lbs in pursuit of an undisputed clash with Bivol.
Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, has now revealed to Fight Hub TV that talks are already underway for his fighter to face ‘The Mexican Monster’.
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“[Benavidez] can come back to light-heavyweight. I think he likes the Bivol fight – that’s a fight we’re discussing with [boxing manager] Luis DeCubas.”
Cooper Flagg has been named the 2025–26 NBA Rookie of the Year after an outstanding debut season with the Dallas Mavericks.
The award was selected by a global media panel of 100 voters. Flagg finished ahead of Kon Knueppel by 26 points, the second-smallest margin since the current voting format began in 2002–03. VJ Edgecombe placed third.
Flagg led all rookies in scoring with 21 points per game. He also averaged 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.9 blocks, showing his all-around impact.
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At 19 years old, he is the second-youngest winner in history, behind only LeBron James.
He also led Dallas in total points, rebounds, assists and steals. The only other rookie to do that since steals were first tracked is Michael Jordan.
One of his standout moments came in a 51-point performance against the Orlando Magic, making him the youngest player in NBA history to score 50 points. He also became the first rookie since Allen Iverson to record four 40-point games in a season.
A 135-rated hurdler, Eachtotheirown ran out a four-and-a-quarter length winner over Blake (17/2) from the Noel Meade yard.
The runner-up, ridden by Donagh Meyler, had a two-and-three-quarter length advantage over Le Labo (9/1) and John Gleeson at the line.
El Cairos (2/1), the Gordon Elliott-trained favourite, disappointed, eventually finishing in fourth place, a further length-and-a-half behind the third-placed horse.
The LA Rams made one of the most surprising moves of the 2026 NFL draft by selecting Ty Simpson at No. 13 in the first round. It signaled a long-term transition plan from Matthew Stafford.
The move initially drew attention due to a viral moment showing Rams coach Sean McVay with a frustrated body language, which led to speculation about internal disagreement. However, reports suggested that LA thoroughly evaluated the Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback, and that the decision was part of a more deliberate strategy.
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Simpson provided insight on Monday into his predraft interactions with the Rams. He revealed that he and McVay spent hours together ahead of the draft.
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“We tried to keep this under wraps as long as we could,” Simpson said, via ESPN Radio. “It was something to where I knew they were interested, but they wanted to make it private and didn’t want people to know that they were interested.
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“So, I had some secret meetings with coach McVay, and I just was trying to be on script and do what everybody told me and not to tell anybody.”
Earlier speculations suggested that LA general manager Les Snead may have pushed for Simpson’s selection due to a relationship with the quarterback and his family. However the Alabama star’s revelation indicated that the decision was more coordinated than initially believed.
Snead has a long-standing professional relationship with Ty’s father, UT Martin coach Jason Simpson. Snead reportedly assured the family months ahead of the 2026 NFL draft that the quarterback was a first-round prospect.
Lack of trade interest prevented Rams from moving down for Ty Simpson
The Rams’ initial plan was to trade down before making a first-round selection. according to ESPN insider Adam Schefter on Monday. He revealed that the team hoped to move back while collecting additional picks and still landing Ty Simpson. However, the plan fell through when no trade offers came in.
“Now, the Rams were going to try to trade back,” Schefter said on “The Adam Schefter Podcast.” That was the plan. Hopefully, move back to, say Detroit at 17, get some extra picks and take Ty Simpson there. When their turn on the clock came, they didn’t get any calls. They got no offers. So they were forced to take Ty Simpson at that spot.”
Simpson boosted his draft stock with a productive 2025 season with Alabama (11-4, 7-1 Southeastern Conference). He finished with 3,567 passing yards and 28 touchdowns, leading the program to a College Football Playoff quarterfinal appearance.
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However, draft projections placed him in the latter part of the first round, contributing to the perception that his selection at No. 13 came earlier than expected.
Donovan Ferreira’s audacious stroke-play handed Punjab Kings the bitter pill of defeat for the first time in this edition of IPL as Rajasthan Royals cantered home by six wicket.
Chasing a target of 223, Rajasthan Royals needed 71 off the last six overs when Ferreira smashed his way to an unbeaten 52 off 26 balls in company of an unheralded Shubham Dubey (31 not out off 12 balls) to clinch the victory with four balls to spare. Ferreira was brilliant while picking his areas as PBKS troika of Arshdeep Singh (1/68 in 4 overs), Lockie Ferguson (0/57 in 4 overs) and Marco Jansen (0/41 in 3.2 overs) would like to forget this day in a hurry.
Between Ferreira and Dubey, they hit nine fours and five sixes as they undid all the good work done by Yuzvendra Chahal (3/36 in 4 overs). The manner in which Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (43 off 16 balls) started with a deluge of sixes — five — including a couple of flicked maximums off Arshdeep Singh and Lockie Ferguson, it seemed RR would make a meal of the chase.
Feb 22, 2026; Fort Myers, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora (13) looks on during the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at JetBlue Park at Fenway South. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
Fired Red Sox manager Alex Cora sent a short farewell note to Boston via social media on Tuesday.
“Boston, we will miss you,” he wrote.
“Gracias for making us part of you. #RedSoxNation, you are the [heart emoji] of that team, keep believing, you really care and that’s what pushes everyone in the @RedSox to give it all day in and day out.
“With respect and love, AC”
Team officials dismissed Cora and five of coaches on Saturday after the Red Sox staggered out of the gate to start the season at 10-17.
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While Cora’s firing has been met with some support among fans, posts on social media show they largely place the blame for the team’s woes on management, especially owner John Henry and Craig Breslow, the chief baseball owner.
After serving as bench coach for the 2017 world champion Houston Astros, Cora was hired as manager in Boston in 2018. He led the Red Sox to a franchise-record 108 victories and a World Series title.
However, after the 2019 campaign, Cora was implicated in an MLB investigation involving sign-stealing by the Astros. MLB undertook an investigation into the Red Sox practices, but Cora and the Red Sox mutually agreed to separate before the 2020 season.
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Cora, 50, was suspended for the 2020 season for his role in Houston, but returned to Boston as manager in 2021.
After missing the playoffs from 2022-24, the Red Sox returned last season, but lost a American League wild-card series to the New York Yankees.
Cora posted an eight-year regular-season record of 619-541 and postseason mark of 18-10.
Chad Tracy has been elevated from manager at Triple-A Worcester to serve as interim manager of the Red Sox.
Paris Saint-Germain host Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final this Tuesday. Bayern are aiming for their first final since 2020.
Also in this sports roundup:
Kylian Mbappé is injured and could miss the rest of the season with Real Madrid. In tennis, Alexander Zverev gave Terence Atmane no chance at the Madrid Masters 1000. Cooper Flagg from the Dallas Mavericks has been named NBA Rookie of the Year. Finally, badminton is adopting new rules.
Mumbai Indians’ Rohit Sharma during a practice session . (PTI Photo)
MUMBAI: The availability of Rohit Sharma remains uncertain ahead of Mumbai Indians’ crucial IPL 2026 clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad, with the franchise confirming that a final decision will be taken only at the toss on Wednesday.“Rohit has continued to progress but any call on his involvement in Wednesday’s game will be taken at the toss,” an MI spokesperson was quoted as saying by news agency PTI on Tuesday, keeping fans and team management on edge ahead of the Wankhede encounter.
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Virat Kohli inaugurates his childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma’s new academy
Rohit Sharma’s recovery under watch
The former MI skipper has been sidelined since April 12 after suffering a hamstring injury during a home game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Since then, Rohit has been steadily working his way back, featuring in multiple net sessions in recent days.At the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday, the 38-year-old was present during training but refrained from batting. Instead, he focused on light warm-ups and running drills under the supervision of support staff, followed by an extended discussion on the sidelines before leaving the field.While his gradual progress is a positive sign, MI appear cautious about rushing him back into match action.
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Suryakumar leads intense preparations
In Rohit’s potential absence, the spotlight has shifted to Suryakumar Yadav, who put in an extended training session on the eve of the match. The dynamic batter was the first to arrive at the nets and trained for nearly 90 minutes, signalling his intent to rediscover top form amid a packed schedule.The session also saw interactions between players from both camps, with Suryakumar later seen in conversation with Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan, while MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene exchanged words with SRH opener Travis Head.With Rohit’s participation hanging in the balance, MI will be hoping for a timely boost as they prepare for a key contest at home.
Prior to that, he had amassed seven consecutive world title victories at 147lbs, all by stoppage, but could only cement himself as the top dog by dethroning Spence.
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Not only did he defeat ‘The Truth’, and claim his three world titles, but Crawford made it a surprisingly one-sided beatdown through nine rounds.
Welterweight, however, is where Crawford managed to produce several of his top performances, perhaps striking the perfect balance between feeling healthy and physically imposing.
Another man who found considerable success at 147lbs, of course, is Felix Trinidad, who reigned as the IBF world champion for nearly seven years.
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Two of his greatest victories came against Oscar De La Hoya and Pernell Whitaker, who both crafted Hall of Fame careers in their own right.
It is only natural, then, that ‘Tito’ fancies his chances in a prime-for-prime battle with Crawford, telling Fight Hub TV that he would have handed ‘Bud’ his only professional blemish.
“With all due respect to Crawford… Tito Trinidad – I’m going to win.”
While no fighter managed to find an answer to the Crawford puzzle, it could equally be said that the former five-division world champion never faced anyone like Trinidad.
Thomson is out after a 9-19 start in which the Phillies fell 10 games below .500 for the first time since 2017. After a 1-3 start, the Phillies won five of their next six games to push their record to 6-4. Then, the losing started, including four of six before a 10-game losing streak that left them duking it out for last place in the NL East with the similarly struggling New York Mets. Twenty-eight games into the season is one of the quickest firings for a manager in recent history.
2018
Reds
Bryan Price
18
2015
Brewers
Ron Roenicke
25
2026
Red Sox
Alex Cora
27
2026
Phillies
Rob Thomson
28
2016
Braves
Fredi Gonzalez
37
2025
Pirates
Derek Shelton
38
2015
Marlins
Mike Redmond
38
Thomson, 62, took over as Phillies manager after Joe Girardi was fired in June 2022. The Phillies that season went 65-46 under Thomson, securing the third and final National League wild-card spot. From there, they won their first NL pennant since 2009 but ultimately lost the World Series to the Houston Astros in six games.
The following season, the Phillies turned a wild-card spot into an NLCS run and then won the NL East title in back-to-back years. The 96 wins last season were their most in a season since 2011. Thomson received Manager of the Year votes in 2022, 2024, and 2025. He finished third in the voting just last year.
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As manager, Thomson made the playoffs four times in his first four seasons. He won two division titles and a pennant. He’s 355-270 overall. The Phillies signed Thomson to a contract extension through the 2027 season in December, so they fired him only 28 games into his new contract.
Speculation about Cora landing with the Phillies was an easy talking point in the immediate aftermath, but Cora turned down an offer before the team pivoted to Mattingly, according to The Athletic. Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski originally hired Cora to manage the Red Sox in October 2017 and the two won the World Series together in 2018. They’re said to remain close.
Mattingly, 65, has an 889-950 career managerial record with the Los Angeles Dodgers (2011-15) and Miami Marlins (2016-22). He spent the 2023-25 as bench coach with the Toronto Blue Jays and was part of their AL pennant-winning coaching staff last year.
Philadelphia also promoted third base coach Dusty Wathan to bench coach. Triple-A manager Anthony Contreras has been promoted to third base coach.
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Preston Mattingly, Don Mattingly’s son, is Philadelphia’s general manager under Dombrowski.
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