SYDNEY — Tim Tszyu delivered the biggest win of his career in front of his hometown fans on Sunday, outpointing former unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. over 12 rounds in a middleweight bout that ended with Spence announcing his retirement moments after the final bell.

Tszyu won by unanimous decision at Afterpay Arena in Sydney Olympic Park, with all three judges scoring the fight in his favor: 118-110, 117-111 and 117-111. The victory improved Tszyu’s professional record to 28-3 with 18 knockouts, while Spence, who came into the bout with a record of 28-1, dropped to 28-2.

A crossroads fight for two former champions

The bout carried significant stakes for both fighters, each hoping to reestablish himself after recent setbacks. Spence, 36, was making his first appearance in the ring in nearly three years, following a lopsided ninth-round stoppage loss to Terence Crawford in their 2023 undisputed welterweight championship bout — a defeat many considered the first sign of decline for a fighter once regarded as one of the sport’s pound-for-pound best. Sunday’s fight also marked a significant jump in weight class for Spence, who moved up two divisions from welterweight to the 160-pound middleweight limit to face Tszyu.

Tszyu, 31, entered the bout looking to bounce back from a difficult recent stretch that had seen him go 3-3 in his previous six fights. A former super welterweight titleholder fighting in his home country, Tszyu carried the weight of expectations from thousands of Australian fans hoping to see him reclaim his standing among the sport’s top fighters.

How the fight played out

Spence started fast, working behind his speed advantage and pressing the action in the opening rounds. Tszyu answered with a heavy right hand that rocked Spence in the first round, an exchange that set the tone for a competitive but increasingly one-sided contest. Spence had moments of success in the second and third rounds, connecting with hard left hands and remaining the more active fighter at times, but Tszyu steadily began to take control from the fourth round onward.

By the second half of the fight, Tszyu was landing the harder and more frequent punches, wobbling Spence on multiple occasions with lead and counter right hands as the challenger’s activity level dropped. Spence, dealing with what commentators described as visible ring rust after his lengthy layoff, remained competitive enough to bank rounds on some scorecards but was unable to turn the fight back in his favor down the stretch. He held on through the final round to hear the scorecards, which were unanimous in Tszyu’s favor.

Tszyu reflects on an emotional night

Tszyu, who has moved up to the 160-pound division this year, was visibly emotional in his post-fight interview, calling the victory the best win of his career and describing the mental preparation that went into facing a fighter of Spence’s caliber. “160 is my new division and I feel strong,” Tszyu said, addressing the crowd after the win. He said the challenge of preparing for the bout weighed on him in the lead-up to fight night, at one point saying he had experienced “sleepless nights” wondering how he would handle facing a fighter of Spence’s stature. He credited his performance to persistence through a difficult stretch of his career, telling the arena, “I want to be the definition of resilience.”

Looking ahead, Tszyu said he hopes the win positions him for a shot at a middleweight world title, name-checking Cuban veteran Erislandy Lara as a potential future opponent. He added that, in his view, beating a fighter of Spence’s résumé carried more significance than a title belt itself.

Spence calls time on his career

Spence, who built his reputation as one of the sport’s most feared welterweights before his loss to Crawford, confirmed in his own post-fight comments that Sunday’s bout marked the end of his boxing career. Speaking calmly despite the loss, Spence said he was at peace with his decision and grateful for what the sport had given him. “For sure, I’m retiring,” Spence said. “I’ve got my faculties intact. My money is good and working for itself, so everything is good, man.”

Spence went on to reflect on his time in the sport, telling reporters he felt fortunate to walk away from boxing in good health and with his family by his side. He also offered praise for Tszyu’s performance, calling it a good showing and saying the fight had answered lingering questions about where he stood as a fighter following his layoff and the jump in weight class.

A statement win for Tszyu’s career

Sunday’s result adds to a rebuilding narrative for Tszyu, who had struggled to find consistency in his last several outings before Sunday’s win. Beating a fighter of Spence’s stature, even at 36 years old and following a long layoff, is likely to boost Tszyu’s standing in the middleweight division as he pursues a path toward a world title opportunity.

The card, promoted under a “USA vs. Australia” banner, also featured a co-main event lightweight bout in which unbeaten prospect Ahmad Reda defeated veteran Paul Fleming by unanimous decision. The originally scheduled co-main event between Stephen Fulton and Liam Wilson was scrapped after Fulton missed weight by six and a half pounds.

For Spence, Sunday’s loss closes the book on a career that included stints as a unified welterweight champion and a place among the sport’s pound-for-pound elite before his decline in recent years. For Tszyu, it opens the door to bigger opportunities in a new weight class, with a world title shot now squarely in his sights.

Jennifer Connelly has a recurring problem at airport security: strangers keep insisting she’s Demi Moore.

The Academy Award-winning actress shared the story while visiting Entertainment Weekly’s studio at San Diego Comic-Con this week, where she was promoting the upcoming second season of her Apple TV series “Dark Matter.” Connelly said the mix-up has become a familiar, if slightly absurd, part of her public life, describing a recent encounter with a security agent who refused to accept her denial.

A case of mistaken identity, twice over

Recounting the exchange, Connelly said an airport worker approached her with total confidence that she was looking at Moore. “I’ve gotten people insisting — going through security the other day, they’re like, ‘Oh my God, you’re Demi Moore,’” Connelly said. She said her attempts to correct the mistake went nowhere fast. “I was like, ‘I’m not.’ They were like, ‘You are.’ Again: ‘No. I’m really not. I’m not. I have my passport to show you.’”

The comparison isn’t entirely without logic. Connelly and Moore, now 63, both broke into Hollywood as teenagers in the 1980s before building lasting careers through the 1990s and 2000s, and both have shared the screen with Tom Cruise in separate films. But despite the surface-level similarities in their career arcs, the two actresses have never appeared in a project together, making the persistent confusion all the more puzzling to Connelly.

A second case of mistaken credit

The airport mix-up wasn’t the only identity confusion Connelly described during her Comic-Con conversation. She said fans also frequently credit her with film roles she never actually took, including one memorable claim involving Brad Pitt. “I get a lot more of people insisting that I’m in movies that I’m not in,” Connelly said. “Like, I had someone say to me, ‘You were so good in that movie with Brad Pitt,’ and I was like, ‘Not in a movie with Brad Pitt.’ They’re like, ‘Yes you are,’ I’m like, ‘I’m really not, I promise you.’”

Connelly, who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in 2001’s “A Beautiful Mind,” has never appeared in a film alongside Pitt, according to her public filmography. The mix-up leaves open the question of which of Pitt’s past co-stars fans might actually be picturing — a detail Connelly did not clarify further during the conversation.

Promoting “Dark Matter” season two

Connelly’s Comic-Con appearance came as Apple TV used its Hall H panel to unveil the trailer for the second season of “Dark Matter,” the sci-fi thriller based on Blake Crouch’s bestselling 2016 novel of the same name. Crouch created the series and serves as its showrunner, with Connelly and co-star Joel Edgerton both starring in and executive producing the show.

The first season, which premiered on Apple TV in May 2024, followed physicist Jason Dessen, played by Edgerton, after he is abducted by an alternate version of himself and thrust into a chaotic multiverse built around “the Box,” a device capable of transporting people between parallel realities. Connelly plays Daniela Dessen, Jason’s wife, whose own storyline deepens significantly as season two unfolds.

According to details shared at the panel, the new 10-episode season finds the Dessen family attempting to settle into a peaceful new life after the events of season one, only for new threats to force them on the run once again. Jason’s continued obsession with the Box drives much of the season’s tension, while Daniela grapples with growing paranoia and the couple’s son, Charlie, played by Oakes Fegley, struggles to find stability amid the upheaval. The ensemble cast also includes Alice Braga, Jimmi Simpson, Amanda Brugel and Dayo Okeniyi, along with Margo Martindale and Chris Diamantopoulos.

Season two of “Dark Matter” is set to premiere globally on Apple TV on August 28, releasing one new episode weekly through October 30. The rollout will also include an accompanying “Dark Matter: The Official Podcast,” featuring cast members and guests discussing each episode as the season airs.

Comic-Con’s celebrity moment

Connelly’s remarks were part of a broader wave of celebrity interviews and panel appearances at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, which has drawn major studios and streamers eager to build buzz ahead of fall and winter releases. The convention’s Hall H panels have historically served as a launching pad for trailers and cast reunions across film and television, and this year’s Dark Matter panel followed that pattern, drawing cast members together on stage to discuss the show’s expanded second season alongside the newly released footage.

For Connelly, the convention appearance offered a lighter moment amid the promotional circuit, as she leaned into the recurring case of mistaken identity with self-deprecating humor rather than frustration. The actress, whose decades-long career includes roles in “Requiem for a Dream,” “A Beautiful Mind” and “Labyrinth,” has long been a recognizable face in Hollywood — even if, by her own account, that recognition doesn’t always land on the correct name.

Whether the Demi Moore mix-ups will continue remains to be seen, but for now, Connelly says she’s simply learned to carry the paperwork to prove it.

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LeBron James’ decision to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers this week ended his two-season run as the first father to play alongside his son in NBA history, immediately raising questions about what comes next for Bronny James and his future with the Los Angeles Lakers.

According to multiple reports, the answer appears settled, at least for now: Bronny will stay in Los Angeles.

LeBron’s move to Philadelphia

James informed the Lakers early in free agency that he would not return, ending speculation about a third season alongside his son and setting off a monthslong search for his next destination. On Friday, James agreed to a two-year, $8 million contract with the 76ers, a deal that includes a player option for the second season, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The 41-year-old, entering his 24th NBA season, will join a Philadelphia roster built around Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown and rookie guard VJ Edgecombe.

James described the move as the final chapter of his playing career in a message posted to social media. “I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team and I am so excited to energize a new fan base and start this incredible journey one last time,” James wrote, adding that the choice marked “my last decision” and that he was “not going for money.” He also thanked the cities that shaped his career, writing that Los Angeles, Miami and his home region of Northeast Ohio would remain close to him.

James’ agent, Rich Paul, told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne that James spoke with only one coach throughout the process, 76ers head coach Nick Nurse, and that the Sixers ultimately won out over potential reunions with the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Why Bronny isn’t expected to follow

Despite early speculation that the father-son duo might try to stay together, agent Rich Paul made clear that was never the plan. Paul, who represents both James and his son, told ESPN that the two “are not a package deal” and that there is no arrangement in place to send Bronny to Philadelphia. Reporting from The Athletic’s Dan Woike similarly pushed back on assumptions that the two would remain linked, noting that Bronny is well regarded inside the Lakers’ locker room.

Front Office Sports previously reported that teams involved in James’ free agency had internally discussed the possibility of acquiring Bronny as part of any deal, though it remains unclear whether Philadelphia was among those teams. With Embiid, Maxey, Brown and Edgecombe already anchoring a crowded rotation built to win immediately, the 76ers currently have little obvious need for an unproven, low-usage guard.

The Lakers’ commitment to Bronny

Perhaps the clearest signal of Bronny’s future came before LeBron even made his decision. The Lakers fully guaranteed Bronny’s $2.296 million salary for the 2026-27 season on June 30, a move that also carries a $2.487 million team option for 2027-28. The team had already declined guard Nick Smith Jr.’s option days earlier, a decision that further opened up backcourt minutes.

Bronny, the No. 55 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, has shown gradual progress across his first two professional seasons. As a rookie, he averaged 2.3 points in 27 games while playing limited minutes. In his second season, his role expanded to 42 games and he averaged 2.9 points and 1.2 assists per contest. Lakers head coach JJ Redick has pointed to that growth as evidence of Bronny’s development within the organization. “He’s gotten significantly better,” Redick said during the season. “Our staff has confidence in him.”

A chance to build his own identity

Former Lakers player and franchise commentator Mychal Thompson argued that separating from his father could ultimately benefit the 21-year-old guard’s development, describing Bronny’s improved feel for the game during an appearance on ESPN LA’s “Sedano & Kap” radio show. “He’s now developed where he’s got a great point-five mentality,” Thompson said, describing Bronny as “catch-and-shoot ready at all times.”

Some analysts have suggested that playing outside his father’s shadow could also help Bronny address persistent criticism about nepotism that followed his entry into the league as a second-round pick. Without his father on the roster, the Lakers can now evaluate and develop Bronny purely on his own merits, without the surrounding media attention that came with the James family’s shared locker room.

A crowded backcourt battle ahead

Bronny’s path to consistent playing time remains far from guaranteed. The Lakers’ backcourt already includes Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves at the top of the rotation, meaning Bronny will need to continue earning minutes through performance rather than legacy. Still, people within the organization have expressed confidence in his trajectory, and the guaranteed contract signals the front office intends to give him another full season to develop.

End of a historic chapter

LeBron and Bronny’s two seasons together marked the first time a father and son had shared an NBA roster, a milestone that generated significant attention throughout the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons. With LeBron now set to begin a new chapter in Philadelphia, that specific storyline comes to a close, even as both players continue their NBA careers on separate coasts.

For Bronny, the coming season represents his first opportunity to build a professional identity fully independent of his father, playing for a Lakers team that has publicly committed to his development and financially backed that commitment through his guaranteed 2026-27 salary.

LeBron James’ choice to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers this week closed the book on one of the more persistent storylines of this year’s NBA offseason: the possibility that James could reunite with former teammate Kyrie Irving, potentially reshaping the Dallas Mavericks’ roster in the process. With that scenario now off the table, attention has shifted to what comes next for Irving, Klay Thompson and a Mavericks front office already in the middle of a broader organizational overhaul.

A reunion that never materialized

For weeks, one thread running through James’ prolonged free agency search involved his relationship with Irving, his former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate and 2016 championship co-star. According to ESPN senior writer Vincent Goodwill, James had explored the idea of bringing Irving back to Cleveland as part of his free agency decision. “League sources said James had been angling for former teammate Irving to join him in Cleveland, but the Dallas Mavericks have had no interest in engaging the Cavaliers in a trade, and Irving is believed to be comfortable where he is,” Goodwill reported.

That resistance from Dallas effectively ended any realistic path toward a Irving-James reunion before James ultimately chose Philadelphia over both Cleveland and a possible return to Miami. Fox Sports later characterized the outcome plainly, noting that with LeBron heading to Philadelphia, a Kyrie Irving trade scenario tied to James is now off the board entirely.

Kyrie Irving remains part of Dallas’ plans

Despite persistent trade chatter throughout the summer, multiple reports indicate the Mavericks have consistently kept Irving out of any deal discussions. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, teams calling Dallas about Irving have been told directly that he is not available, a stance that has remained unchanged even as the front office fielded offers on several other veterans. Stein reported that Daniel Gafford, Klay Thompson and P.J. Washington have instead been identified as the Mavericks’ most available players this offseason.

Irving, who is working back from knee surgery in March 2025, remains central to Dallas’ plans heading into the new season, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, who described Irving as firmly in the team’s long-term outlook as he continues his recovery. That stands in contrast to the uncertainty surrounding several of his current teammates, whose roles appear more fluid under the franchise’s new leadership.

Klay Thompson’s future in Dallas grows murkier

Thompson, who signed with the Mavericks in 2025 to team up with Irving and Luka Doncic, is now viewed as one of the more likely veterans to be moved before the season begins. According to Stein’s reporting, Dallas would prefer to trade Thompson rather than negotiate a buyout, and the team has been seeking a first-round pick in any deal involving the 36-year-old guard.

Thompson’s production dipped significantly last season, a factor likely influencing his standing on the roster. He averaged 11.7 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 21.7 minutes across 69 games, all career lows, while shooting 38.3% from three-point range. Despite the decline in output, Thompson passed a notable milestone in January, moving into fourth place on the NBA’s all-time made three-pointers list, a testament to his standing as one of the league’s most accomplished shooters even as his role has diminished.

A franchise in transition

The uncertainty surrounding Thompson, Gafford and Washington comes amid a broader reshaping of the Mavericks’ front office and coaching staff. Dallas hired Masai Ujiri, the executive who built Toronto’s 2019 championship roster, as president of basketball operations earlier this year. Ujiri has since brought in general manager Mike Schmitz, known for his work evaluating draft prospects, and head coach Dusty May, fresh off leading Michigan to an NCAA championship.

According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, the front office’s priority this offseason has centered on collecting assets and building around reigning Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg, selected by Dallas in the 2025 draft, along with 2026 first-round pick Morez Johnson Jr. That youth-focused build has put several of the roster’s more veteran, higher-salaried players, including Thompson, in position to be moved as the front office reshapes the roster around its younger core.

What LeBron’s decision changes — and what it doesn’t

With James now set to begin his 24th NBA season in Philadelphia rather than Cleveland, the specific trade pressure that had been tied to a potential Irving reunion is gone. That removes one significant variable from Dallas’ offseason calculus, but it does not resolve the underlying questions facing the roster. Thompson’s trade market, Gafford’s availability, and Washington’s standing remain active storylines independent of anything James decided.

Meanwhile, James himself will begin building chemistry with a new Philadelphia core that includes Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown, a roster the 76ers hope can finally deliver a championship after a 43-year title drought for the franchise. Whether Philadelphia’s roster construction shifts further in the coming weeks, potentially involving Dallas veterans in some capacity, remains an open question league-wide as teams continue reshaping their rosters heading into the new season.

For now, the most immediate outcome of James’ decision is clarity rather than upheaval: Irving stays in Dallas, Thompson’s trade market continues independent of any LeBron-driven scenario, and the Mavericks’ rebuild under Ujiri and May proceeds largely as it was already trending before James made his choice public.

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