Oleksandr Usyk has downplayed the threat of Filip Hrgovic as he envisions Moses Itauma retaining his status as the “future” of heavyweight boxing.

Indeed, the prodigious talent has been widely hailed as a future world champion, seemingly possessing the mental and physical attributes to reign supreme in years to come.

Such belief in the 21-year-old was only enhanced by his last outing, which resulted in a fifth-round stoppage of fringe contender Jermaine Franklin in March.

Now, though, Itauma is approaching his toughest test thus far, taking on the seasoned and durable Filip Hrgovic at London’s O2 Arena on August 29.

The Croatian has firmly cemented himself as a top 10 heavyweight, with his only loss arriving when he was stopped on cuts in round eight of his 2024 encounter with Daniel Dubois.

But while many believe that Hrgovic will offer a significant challenge to Itauma, Usyk appears less convinced that the 34-year-old can pose many problems.

Speaking with DAZN, the Ukrainian effectively named Itauma as the heir to his throne and, by extension, the type of fighter who handles pressure with remarkable composure.

“[Hrgovic is] not a big test, but [he’s] a test. Itauma, for me, is a special guy because he’s very relaxed before fights [and] after fights.

“[He’s the] future.”

While Usyk vacated his WBC, IBF and WBA titles last month, he will remain the lineal heavyweight champion until he either retires or is defeated in the ring.

With just one fight remaining, though, it is most likely that the next heavyweight king – possibly Itauma – will be crowned once the 39-year-old has called time on his Hall of Fame career.

India’s Lovepreet Singh came within touching distance of a Commonwealth Games gold before settling for silver in the men’s +110kg weightlifting event at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games on Thursday.

The 28-year-old lifted a combined 388kg (176kg in the snatch and 212kg in the clean and jerk), finishing just one kilogram behind New Zealand’s David Andrew Liti, who claimed gold with a total of 389kg (166kg + 223kg). England’s Andrew Griffith took bronze with 356kg.

Lovepreet’s silver upgraded the bronze medal he won at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and also ended India’s run of three medalless weightlifting events.

His performance capped a successful campaign for the Indian weightlifting contingent, which finished the Games with eight medals.

Who is Lovepreet Singh?

Born on September 6, 1997, in Bal Sikander village in Punjab’s Amritsar district, Lovepreet Singh grew up in a modest household.

His father worked as a tailor, while his grandfather earned a livelihood by selling vegetables. Rather than following the family profession, Lovepreet was encouraged to pursue sport and took up weightlifting at the age of 13 at the DAV Ground in Amritsar.

From Bal Sikander to the Commonwealth podium

Lovepreet announced himself on the international stage by winning silver in the men’s 109kg category at the 2021 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships.

A year later, he secured bronze at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, earning India’s first medal in the men’s heavyweight division at those Games.

Following the restructuring of international weight categories, Lovepreet moved into the men’s +110kg division, where he continued to establish himself among the world’s top heavyweight lifters.

His silver medal at Glasgow 2026 marks his second successive Commonwealth Games podium finish and underlines his consistency on the international stage.

An impressive resume

Lovepreet has steadily built an impressive international resume over the past few years.

His medal-winning performances include silver at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in the men’s +110kg category, bronze at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in the men’s 109kg category, and silver at the 2021 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships.

The Glasgow campaign also saw him rewrite the Commonwealth Games record books after producing a snatch lift of 176kg, setting a new Games record in the discipline.

The road to CWG 2026 silver

Lovepreet looked destined for gold after a sensational performance in the snatch.

He opened with a comfortable 168kg before successfully clearing 173kg on his second attempt. On his final attempt, the Punjab lifter produced a flawless 176kg lift to set a new Commonwealth Games snatch record and carry a commanding 10kg advantage into the clean and jerk.

His chances improved further after Samoa’s Sanele Mao, one of the pre-event favourites, failed all three snatch attempts.

The clean and jerk, however, belonged to New Zealand’s David Liti.

Liti opened with 207kg before Lovepreet successfully matched his personal best of 212kg on his second attempt. With the crowd chanting “Come on, Jatta” and “Come on, Singh”, Lovepreet attempted 217kg on his final lift — a weight that would have broken the Commonwealth Games record and secured gold.

Although he managed to clean the bar, he could not complete the jerk.

That left the door open for Liti, who responded with a Games-record clean-and-jerk lift of 223kg to finish with a total of 389kg and snatch the gold by a single kilogram.

“I thought I would win gold after snatch but it was up to God. Little disappointed that I couldn’t lift in my final attempt in clean and jerk. I have lifted more in training,” Lovepreet said after the competition.

What’s next for Lovepreet?

Winning silver at Glasgow further strengthens Lovepreet Singh’s position as India’s leading heavyweight weightlifter.

Having now won medals at consecutive Commonwealth Games and established himself as a record-holder at the event, the Punjab lifter will shift his focus to the World Weightlifting Championships, Asian Championships and the qualification cycle for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

With his performances continuing to improve in the +110kg category, Lovepreet remains one of India’s strongest medal hopes at major international competitions.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens responded to Jerry Jones’ comments about his future with the franchise.

On Tuesday, Jones had high praise for Pickens. He also highlighted the possibility of him playing for the Cowboys for the rest of his NFL career. Pickens expressed his appreciation for those kind words on Thursday.

“Super excited,” Pickens said. “I’m always super happy when someone thinks highly of me, so shout out to Jerry.”

The Cowboys acquired George Pickens via a trade with the Steelers in May 2025. In 17 games, he posted an impressive 1,429 yards on 93 receptions and nine touchdowns. There was a lot of chatter about a potential contract extension following his performance.

However, in February, the Cowboys placed a franchise tag on him. Pickens signed the $27.3 million franchise tag in April. While speaking about the wide receiver, Jerry Jones said that he expects great things from Pickens in 2026.

“He’s a valued part of our aspirations and our potential success,” Jones said. “I hope that he comes out here and is the most prolific, successful receiver in the NFL this year. And how would you like to be a free agent and with his credentials and step out there and have a year like that? I wish all of that because if that happens, that (would be) good for us.

“This can be a very win-win thing that we’ve done here, us and George being on the team. Make no mistake about it, George could be a Cowboy for the rest of his career and that’d be a long time. Make no mistake about it. This (franchise tag) just fit for us and thank goodness it fit for him and we got it done.”

The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Pickens with the No. 52 pick in 2022. In three seasons, he recorded 2,841 yards on 174 receptions and 21 TDs.

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Dak Prescott “excited” to play alongside George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb in the 2026 season

Dak Prescott has already built a rapport with CeeDee Lamb over the past few years. Last season, he also built chemistry with George Pickens, providing him with more help on offense.

On Thursday, Prescott was questioned about his strategy heading into Year 2 with Lamb and Pickens by his side.

“It’s exciting. They help me be comfortable,” Prescott said. “Those guys are ridiculous in their ability to get one, ability to win in one-on-one. Right now, it’s just about continuing to communicate about the zones and where they need to be in certain timings. … They’re just a complement to this whole offense.”

The Cowboys play the New York Giants on the road in their season-opener on Sept. 13.