Hall of Fame trainer and analyst Teddy Atlas has urged Oleksandr Usyk to end his career in a contrasting fashion to those of Muhammad Ali and Joe Louis.

The Ukrainian has already cemented himself as one of the all-time greats, while perhaps not being placed on the same pedestal as Ali and Louis.

This is partly because Ali, for instance, competed at world level for the best part of 15 years, defeating the likes of George Foreman and Joe Frazier in legacy-defining encounters.

Similarly, Louis demonstrated his longevity by setting a heavyweight record (25) for the most successful title defences, while reigning as a dominant champion for almost 12 years.

But while both these legends crafted astonishing Hall of Fame careers, they ultimately paid the price for remaining in the sport several years after reaching their peaks.

Usyk, on the other hand, has the opportunity to leave boxing on his terms after becoming a two-division undisputed champion.

Speaking with CanadaCasino, Atlas highlighted this as the most desirable option for a man with signature wins over Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.

“All I want is for Usyk to do something not every great fighter has been able to pull off: walk off into the sunset at your best.

“Walk off whole, healthy, and with the memory that we deserve to have about you. The great Joe Louis couldn’t do it. The great Muhammad Ali couldn’t do it. I’d like to see Usyk do that. It’s not for Teddy Atlas to choose that time; it’s for Usyk to choose that time. But I think he’s starting to choose it.”

Coming off an 11th-round stoppage of Rico Verhoeven in May, Usyk relinquished his heavyweight titles and revealed that he has just one fight left.

Many suspect that this will arrive against former WBC champion Deontay Wilder, who comes off a split decision victory over fellow veteran Derek Chisora.

Neutral-site games present a different challenge than playing at home or away. Often encountered in bowl games or preseason showcases, they tend to level the playing field.

The table below shows the wins, losses, and win percentages for the region’s top programs as the away team favorite over the last 10 seasons.

BYU and New Mexico State lead the way, followed by New Mexico, Utah, and Oregon State.

Winning % in Neutral Site Games by Program Since 2006

Filip Hrgovic has revealed one area of weakness that could make him vulnerable to a stoppage defeat when he faces Moses Itauma.

The two heavyweights will square off for the vacant IBF title on August 29, headlining a Queensberry Promotions pay-per-view show at London’s O2 Arena.

Initially, they had agreed to a non-title fight, only for both combatants to be given an additional incentive after Oleksandr Usyk vacated his three major belts in June.

The winner must then face mandatory challenger Frank Sanchez, who agreed to a step-aside fee following his manager’s negotiations with Queensberry promoter Frank Warren.

In terms of the task at hand, though, it must be said that Itauma is approaching his toughest assignment thus far, with Hrgovic having previously fought for the IBF title in 2024.

Back then, the Croatian had arguably built a slight lead against Daniel Dubois, only for the ringside doctor to prompt an eighth-round stoppage after inspecting the damage around his eyes.

It is worth noting, too, that these cuts were reopened – albeit to varying degrees of severity – in Hrgovic’s subsequent victories over Joe Joyce, David Adeleye and Dave Allen.

Speaking with DAZN, the 34-year-old admitted that this is of genuine concern as he gears up to face the sharp-shooting Itauma.

“That’s the only thing I’m afraid of. I can’t do anything about that. In my last three or four fights, that cut was opening, so it’s obviously a sensitive part of skin.

“I know when [Itauma] hits me, I’m going to continue coming. But, for the cut – if it’s open – I cannot close it with the power of my will. The [ringside] doctor is going to decide [whether the fight continues].

“Besides that, I’m not afraid of his power or his speed or anything like that.”

If Itauma proves successful against Hrgovic, perhaps via a stoppage on cuts, then he will become the youngest heavyweight champion since Mike Tyson defeated Trevor Berbick in 1986.

AUS vs BAN 1st Test Highlights© AFP

Defending champion Islam Makhachev battles No. 1 ranked contender Ian Machado Garry for the UFC welterweight championship in the main event at UFC 330: Makhachev vs. Machado Garry on Saturday at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. The five-bout main UFC 330 fight card is scheduled to start at approximately 9 p.m. ET on Paramount+. Makhachev made his welterweight debut at UFC 322 this past November and earned the UFC welterweight championship with a unanimous decision win over Jack Della Maddalena. Machado Garry, meanwhile, is coming off a unanimous decision win over Belal Muhammad at UFC Fight Night: Tsarukyan vs. Hooker on Nov. 22, 2025. Visit our DraftKings promo code review to see their latest offers and get started. Bet $5 and get $150 in bonus bets at DraftKings here:

In the main event, Makhachev is a -365 favorite (risk $365 to win $100) in the UFC 330: Makhachev vs. Machado Garry odds at DraftKings Sportsbook, while Machado Garry is at +285. Before locking in any UFC 330: Makhachev vs. Machado Garry picks, make sure you see the UFC 330 predictions and betting advice from SportsLine expert Kyle Marley.

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Now, Marley has studied Islam Makhachev vs. Ian Machado Garry from every angle and revealed his top betting picks for sports betting apps. Head to SportsLine to see them.

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Islam Makhachev vs. Ian Machado Garry preview 

Makhachev, 34, is a highly decorated Russian fighter who holds several UFC lightweight records. Among them include longest winning streak (14), most title fight wins (5), most successful title defenses (4) and highest significant strike accuracy at 59.5%. He is the 11th multi-division champion in UFC history. He is a three-time Fight of the Night recipient as well as a three-time Performance of the Night winner.

Makhachev has compiled a 28-1 all-time record as a professional. He has five wins by knockout, 13 by submission and 10 by decision. He is on a 16-bout winning streak. He suffered his lone defeat to Adriano Martins by knockout at UFC 192 on Oct. 3, 2015. Makhachev was the CBS Sports 2023 MMA Fighter of the Year. Check out SportsLine to see Marley’s picks and analysis.

Machado Garry, 28, who is from Ireland, was a Cage Warriors welterweight champion prior to joining UFC in July 2021. He made his MMA debut in February 2019, earning a unanimous decision victory over James Sheehan at Cage Warriors 101. After starting his career 7-0, he joined UFC where he knocked out Jordan Williams at 4:59 of the first round at UFC 268. He continued his winning ways, compiling a 15-0 record before losing a unanimous decision to Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310 on Dec. 7, 2024.

In 18 career matches, he is 17-1 with seven wins by knockout, one by submission and nine by decision. He is a one-time Performance of the Night winner and tied for the third-longest winning streak in UFC welterweight division history at eight. Machado Garry was a 2023 second team MMA All-Star. You can only see Marley’s picks and analysis at SportsLine. 

UFC 330: Makhachev vs. Machado Garry predictions

One of of Marley’s UFC 330: Makhachev vs. Machado Garry picks: He is backing Myktybek Orolbai (-675) to defeat Jeremiah Wells (+490) in a welterweight bout on the early preliminary card.

“Wells is a decent wrestler with KO power, but I don’t give him any stylistic advantages here other than maybe one-punch power,” Marley said. “I think Orolbai is the better wrestler and I like him to be the cleaner striker with better cardio. Give me Orolbai to win all three rounds.” See who else to back here.

How to make UFC 330: Makhachev vs. Machado Garry picks 

Marley also has strong picks for Makhachev vs. Machado Garry and other bouts on the UFC 330: Makhachev vs. Machado Garry card. He’s also backing an underdog who is “the better and more dangerous grappler” to emerge with a big victory. He’s sharing who it is only at SportsLine.

Who wins Makhachev vs. Machado Garry, and how exactly does the fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks and analysis from the incomparable expert who is up over $21,000 on his UFC picks since May 2018, and find out.

UFC 330 main fight card, odds 

See picks at SportsLine.
(Odds from DraftKings and subject to change)

Islam Makhachev (-365) vs. Ian Machado Garry (+285)
Mackenzie Dern (-258) vs. Gillian Robertson (+210)
Charles Johnson (-125) vs. Eduardo Chapolin (+105)
Mansur Abdul-Malik (-550) vs. Dustin Stoltzfus (+410)
Edson Barboza (+360) vs. Esteban Ribovics (-470)

It takes something special to beat Keely Hodgkinson and Audrey Werro provided it to spoil the latest British coronation at the Alexander Stadium.

These Friday night lights had long been earmarked to shine on the Olympic champion but she knew she would have it far from all her own way against an opponent who clocked the third-fastest time in history when leading Hodgkinson home at the Stockholm Diamond League in June.

Roared on by a capacity crowd, a welcome first sight of one this week, Hodgkinson gave it everything to get her own back but Werro dug deep to cross in a new Championship record of 1:54.81, breaking a mark which had stood since 1982.

Hodgkinson was two-tenths of a second further back with Femke Broeders-Bol, the third realistic contender for gold in a field stacked with quality, taking bronze.

It meant no European hat-trick for the 24-year-old, who was successful in 2022 and 2024, leaving her with “mixed emotions”.

“When you feel like you’ve not put a foot wrong and it was a great race, and really close, I can’t really be too disappointed,” Hodgkinson said.

“I do think overall (I’m) probably a bit better than that timewise, Audrey would probably say the same thing, but that’s just how the race went.

“We were both really strong, I fought until the end, I thought I was going to have it in the last 50 but ultimately she just had more.

“There were so many ways it could have played out. Audrey wanted to take it on, with that wind I was happy to let her.

“I love a good challenge and that’s what it was.”

Hodgkinson has not had a straightforward summer. A freak training accident left her with “chunks” taken out her knees but she recovered to win the London Diamond League on home soil.

She skipped the Commonwealth Games, watching on from afar as training partner Georgia Hunter Bell won over two laps, to prioritise her appearance in Birmingham and leaves with no regrets.

“I’m in the shape of my life,” she said. “That’s why I feel I was a bit better than that, I’m a bit disappointed it didn’t come out. There’s not really much I can do.

“I think overall I have had a really good season. I have been met with a few challenges along the way but that’s life, it doesn’t always go the way you envisioned.

“It’s how you bounce back from that, blocking out the noise and controlling what you can control. I’ve definitely learned a lot about myself this year with how to manage that.

“Ultimately, it’s another championship done, another medal added to the collection, and I have to be happy with that. I’m not satisfied but we’ll get there.”

The outcome may not have been what the majority of the crowd were hoping for but the showdown more than lived up to expectations.

This was always billed as the unmissable event of the week and intrigue was only heightened following the semi-final drama which saw Werro take a tumble on the final bend only to be reinstated to the final after a successful appeal.

She showed no ill-effects on the way to conquering the best the continent has to offer and with Broeders-Bol also in the mix, the women’s 800m has the head-to-head narrative all disciplines crave.

The road to LA will be fascinating and the controversial long-standing world record of 1:53.28, set by Czech athlete Jarmila Kratochvilova in 1983, will be in the sights of all three.

“We’ve had it for quite a few years now in the women’s 800m,” Hodgkinson said.

“There has always been someone popping out and the depth is really good, we’ve seen that through the rounds here.

“It’s really great and it’s going to push on even more. It’s really motivating to be in such a competitive event, I love it.”

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Sean O’Malley recently shared his thoughts on Ian Machado Garry’s comments at the UFC 330 presser.

Garry is set to challenge Islam Makhachev’s reign over the welterweight division this weekend at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. While the Irishman is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Belal Muhammad at UFC Qatar last November, Makhachev outpointed Jack Della Maddalena over five rounds at UFC 322 to win the 170-pound title that same month.

While Garry and Makhachev haven’t taken any personal or hard-hitting shots at each other in the build-up to their fight, the Irishman has stirred controversy with some of his comments in the weeks leading up to UFC 330.

During the pre-fight press conference, Garry called out a journalist for asking Makhachev “a loaded question” and scolded him. Reacting to a clip of this exchange in a YouTube video, O’Malley said:

“Islam was about to say something funny, and you ruined it… God damnit, Ian, you did it again; that’s why they don’t like you. That answer sucked. Wasn’t even for you… Don’t do that. Coming from a guy who’s not good at press conferences, that was bad.”

Islam Makhachev explains not being surprised at Ian Machado Garry getting booed by fans

Islam Makhachev recently shared his take on Ian Machado Garry catching heat from the fans ahead of UFC 330 and explained why he wasn’t surprised.

In a pre-fight press conference (via @full_send_mma on X), the Dagestani grappling savant claimed that people didn’t know whether Garry was an Irishman or a Brazilian and were just confused about his nationality. He said:

“I’m not surprised; nobody likes Ian Garry, myself included. People are confused about which country he represents, Brazil or Ireland. People don’t know. People know who they should support. Thank you for all your support, guys.”