It was announced last month that Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez’s comeback fight against Christian Mbilli, originally scheduled for September 12 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, had been pushed back to October. The former undisputed super-middleweight world champion has now revealed why.

Canelo lost all four of his world titles last year to Terence Crawford, but the American’s subsequent retirement saw the belts scattered, allowing the Mexican to immediately book a world title shot on return against new WBC champion Christian Mbilli.

The fight had been confirmed for September 12, though it was announced in June that it would now take place in October. No reason or specific date was given.

Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Canelo has now revealed that there was no injury or issues with the promotion, rather family matters that saw him push it back. He also confirmed that the fight will now take place on October 31.

“Some problems in my family, so I needed to fix … I’m always very disciplined, organised with my training camps, and I wasn’t ready to be training, so that’s why I postponed the fight – because I needed to attend family [matters]. But, all good now, ready to train, and [it’s] gonna be October 31. Yeah, Halloween, that’s the new date.”

Mbilli – undefeated in 30 bouts with 24 knockouts on his ledger – held the WBC interim belt before being elevated to full champion upon Crawford’s retirement. He applies extreme pressure in the ring, making it a good match-up for fans and a style that may play into Alvarez’s counterpunching.

The card remains billed as Mexico against the World, with undercard bouts featuring some of the fighting nation’s biggest names expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

Cameron Menzies needed medical attention after being taken ill during his World Matchplay second-round match against Ross Smith in Blackpool on Wednesday.

While leading the game 2-1, Scotland’s Menzies stepped away from the oche and appeared unsteady on his feet as England’s Smith and the referee guided him safely off stage.

It was later confirmed that Menzies was cleared by medics backstage but was unable to return to the stage to continue, and so forfeited the match.

The PDC said: “Cameron experienced high blood pressure, which caused him to feel dizzy and subsequently faint.

“Following an assessment by the on-site medical team, Cameron was deemed well enough to return to his accommodation.

“We wish Cameron all the best and look forward to seeing him back in action soon.”

Elsewhere, world number three Gian van Veen booked his quarter-final spot by overcoming fellow Dutchman Wessel Nijman in a tie-break.

In a back-and-forth encounter, both players landed 100-plus checkouts to prolong the match but it was Van Veen who came out on top 14-12 in a thriller.

Cape Verde and their goalkeeper Vozinha had a memorable FIFA World Cup 2026 debut, despite going down 3-2 to Argentina in a valiantly contested match in Miami. Cape Verde remained unbeaten against 2010 champions and eventual winners Spain, as well as two-time former champions Uruguay in the group stage. Then, in the Round of 32, Cape Verde were level at 2-2 until the 111th minute before an own goal saw Argentina take a 3-2 lead. Vozinha made a total of 18 saves in the tournament; the only goalkeepers aged 40 or older to register more saves at a single World Cup are Peter Shilton (28 in 1990 for England) and Dino Zoff (27 in 1982 for Italy), according to OptaJoe.

Now, a report in Goal.com has claimed that Messi apparently instructed his representatives to secure free tickets for four of Vozinha’s family members so that they could attend the final from the stands. Argentina lost 1-0 to Spain in the final.

Speaking after the match, Vozinha said Messi hugged him and offered words of encouragement that deeply moved the goalkeeper, according to La Tercera, as quoted by Goal.com.

Speaking after the match, Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha revealed a touching post-match moment with Messi that he says will stay with him forever. The goalkeeper recounted the exchange, saying, as quoted by La Tercera: “I went up to Messi after the game. He hugged me and said, ‘You are great. Your people should be proud of you.’ That was incredible for me. Hearing words like that from someone like Leo Messi means a lot to me.”

The Cape Verde goalkeeper further revealed that he requested Messi’s shirt as a keepsake from the meeting, adding that the Argentina captain agreed to the exchange after completing his post-match media duties.

He added that the moment did not end there, revealing that he had asked the Argentine captain for a keepsake from the encounter: “I thanked him and said, ‘Thank you, Leo. You are the best.’ Then I asked if we could swap shirts. Leo said he would give it to me in the tunnel after the interview.”

Coming to the match, Cape Verde, making their first appearance in the World Cup knockout stages, started brightly and tested Argentina early through Ryan Mendes before the South American giants gradually asserted control.

The breakthrough came in the 29th minute when Lionel Messi produced a moment of brilliance, controlling Lisandro Martinez’s diagonal pass before firing into the roof of the net. The strike marked his seventh goal of the tournament, taking him to the top of the Golden Boot standings.

Argentina looked comfortable before halftime, but Cape Verde returned with renewed intensity after the break. Their persistence paid off just before the hour mark when Mendes released Deroy Duarte, who finished confidently from a tight angle to score his country’s first-ever FIFA World Cup knockout-stage goal and level the contest.

Despite creating several chances, Argentina were repeatedly denied by veteran goalkeeper Vozinha, whose outstanding saves from Messi kept the scores level and forced the match into extra time.

Argentina restored their advantage almost immediately after extra time began as Lisandro Martinez converted from close range following a corner in the 92nd minute. Yet Cape Verde refused to back down, with Sidny Lopes Cabral producing a stunning curling effort in the 103rd minute from a tight angle to make it 2-2 once again.

The decisive moment came in the second half of extra time when Messi’s corner was met by Romero, whose powerful header took a slight deflection off Diney Borges before finding the back of the net in the 111th minute.

Cape Verde nearly forced penalties late on, but Emiliano Martinez produced a vital save to deny Lopes Cabral’s powerful free-kick and secure Argentina’s progress.

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Mariners ‘perfect’ trade deadline target is an .831 OPS outfielder with a Cubs problem originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Seattle Mariners are fighting with the Texas Rangers for the AL West lead, and given how close this team got to a World Series last year, their struggles this season are very worrying.

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This team needs to find a way to upgrade at the MLB trade deadline if they want to make a serious postseason push. With a clear need for a right-handed hitter, there aren’t many options who’d be available for the Mariners.

Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller identified an .831 OPS outfielder as the Mariners “perfect” trade target this summer. But, there’s one issue: The Chicago Cubs are almost certainly not going to trade this outfielder, Seiya Suzuki, this season.

Mariners ‘perfect’ trade target is Seiya Suzuki, with obvious Cubs problem

“Seattle Mariners (73.0% postseason odds): OF Seiya Suzuki,” Miller writes. “… Buyer-to-buyer trades at the deadline don’t happen often, but Seattle would be motivated to get creative to acquire a two-month rental of Seiya Suzuki and his .945 OPS vs. LHP.”

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The Cubs are not going to be sellers this season. Suzuki is almost surely not going anywhere, as the Cubs have a chance to make a deep postseason run this year.

But, despite this problem, Miller believes that there could be a creative deal between the Cubs and Mariners involving Suzuki. This deal could send one of the Mariners’ starting pitchers to land Suzuki.

MORE: Yankees send scouts to Cubs vs. Twins series amid trade interest in three players

With an abundance of rotation arms, the Mariners could easily justify trading one to the Cubs to acquire Suzuki. The only issue is that the Cubs might not see such an exchange as worth it.

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Would they really want to downgrade their offensive production to add a starter? Suzuki has an .831 OPS this season, and has posted 2.8 bWAR on the year in 85 games and 318 at-bats.

This year has been one of the best of his career, and Suzuki clearly would be a major upgrade for the Mariners. But the Cubs’ reluctance to deal him as contenders will make things very tricky for the Mariners in pursuit of their “perfect” trade deadline target.

More MLB news:

NEW DELHI: French Grandmaster Alireza Firouzja was crowned champion of the fourth edition of the Chennai Grand Masters after holding Indian GM Arjun Erigaisi to a draw in the final round on Wednesday, while world champion D Gukesh endured a disappointing campaign, finishing last in the elite tournament.Firouzja finished the competition with 4.5 points after scoring two victories and five draws across seven rounds. The Frenchman, who began the event with back-to-back wins, maintained his consistency throughout the round-robin tournament to claim the title and take home the winner’s prize of Rs 25 lakh.

Firouzja holds nerve to clinch title

Heading into the final round, Firouzja held a crucial half-point advantage over closest challengers Erigaisi and Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov.While Firouzja only needed a draw against Erigaisi to secure the championship, Abdusattorov needed a victory with the black pieces against Dmitry Andreikin to keep his title hopes alive.However, Abdusattorov’s ambitious approach backfired as he went down against Andreikin in 37 moves. That result meant Firouzja’s draw with Erigaisi was enough to seal the crown.Playing with the white pieces, Erigaisi attempted to create winning chances, but Firouzja handled the pressure confidently. The two players eventually agreed to a draw after 41 moves in a rook-and-pawn endgame, with the Indian Grandmaster unable to find a realistic path to victory.The Chennai Grand Masters featured eight Grandmasters competing in a round-robin format, with a total prize purse of Rs 75 lakh and valuable FIDE Circuit points at stake.

Gukesh’s difficult run continues

While Firouzja celebrated a memorable triumph, it was a tournament to forget for India’s reigning world champion D Gukesh.The Chennai youngster struggled to find his rhythm throughout the event, losing three of his seven games and finishing at the bottom of the standings with just two points.Gukesh managed to avoid another defeat in the final round, drawing against Hans Niemann, but it was not enough to lift him from eighth place in the final standings.The result marked a rare low point for the 20-year-old, who has enjoyed a historic rise over the past year after becoming the youngest world chess champion.

Andreikin finishes unbeaten, Erigaisi among runners-up

Andreikin ended the tournament as the only unbeaten player apart from Firouzja, finishing with four points after defeating Abdusattorov in the final round.Erigaisi also ended with four points, while Abdusattorov, Nihal Sarin and M Pranesh shared fourth place with 3.5 points.The final-round results saw Gukesh draw with Niemann, Nihal Sarin draw with Pranesh, Firouzja draw with Erigaisi, and Andreikin defeat Abdusattorov.

A few weeks ago, Kevin O’Connell made some comical quips about being hurt by not getting to play golf alongside Harrison Smith when the safety was in the town. Maybe putting in a round alongside Scottie Scheffler helps make up for any hurt feelings.

Charley Walters is a veteran sports writer who works for The Pioneer Press. He took to social media to make the simple point: “Kevin O’Connell playing with Scottie Scheffler in 3M pro-am this morning at TPC.” In just a few days, Coach O’Connell will need to put away his golf bag in favor of picking up the coach’s whistle in preparation for a pressure-packed season.

Kevin O’Connell Plays Golf with Scottie Scheffler

Mr. Scheffler knows a thing or two about playing golf.

Nobody on the planet is truly within his stratosphere. Not right now, at least. Rory McIlroy will be remembered as one of the best ever. Likewise, the era will bring up memories of some of the special things that Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm, and various others have done. Scheffler is better than them all and it’s not particularly close.

Presumably, Kevin O’Connell feels privileged to share a round of golf with such a dominant force. Is that a two-way street?

Coach O’Connell is widely regarded as being among the game’s great coaches. To my eye, he’s above average but far from dominant, largely due to his inability to construct a formidable ground attack. Introducing true balance to his play calling and the manner in which he can attack the opponent would do wonders for the Minnesota Vikings.

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But then there’s the reality of what’s coming up: Kevin O’Connell is desperate for a playoff run.

Prior to coming to Minnesota, O’Connell was the OC for Sean McVay’s Rams. The skipper therefore came to the Twin Cities with a ring on his finger and the upside of ensuring that those in Minnesota could snag some rings, too. He has since gone 0-2 in the playoffs.

Not too many coaches are capable of having a Marvin Lewis career. The former Bengals coach was in Cincinnati for a long time, putting in work from 2003 to 2018. He went 0-7 in the playoffs during that time. Expect O’Connell to get canned well ahead of being allowed to lose 7 playoff games if there are zero counterbalancing wins.

Kevin O’Connell, in other words, needs to put things together before too long. His roster boasts a pile of talent but everybody is focusing on the high-profile quarterback battle. Safe to say, folks, that O’Connell has never made a more important decision than the one he’s about to make for who starts at quarterback.

The coach then needs his o-line to improve, a run game that’s more than just a casual part of the mix, ongoing excellence from the Brian Flores defense, and the specials to continue being very good (Will Reichard = an assassin who kills the opponent 3 points at a time).

The Vikings welcome rookies to training camp on Sunday, July 26th. A couple of days later, the veterans get to Eagan. O’Connell has plenty of work ahead of him. Maybe Scottie Scheffler will be able to pass along some tips about a well-rounded attack that can elevate on the largest stage.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.