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• 32 Thoughts: The Podcast

  Hockey fans already know the name, but this is not the blog. From Sportsnet, 32 Thoughts: The Podcast with NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas is a weekly deep dive into the biggest news and interviews from the hockey world.

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Regis Prograis has weighed in on the punching power of Conor Benn following their ten-round clash in London this past weekend.

Benn, dropping down after two middleweight fights last year to a catchweight of 150lbs, beat Prograis clearly over the distance, hurting him on at least one occasion but failing to register his first stoppage win since facing Chris van Heerden in 2022.

Speaking to Fight Hub TV, Prograis praised the power of Benn, going as far as to say he is the hardest puncher he has shared the ring with, but explained why that strength alone is not as effective as it could be.

“Conor hits hard. I’m pretty sure Conor hit me the hardest I’ve been hit in my career so far. Conor has a lot of power. But, the thing is, the punches you don’t see are the ones that hurt you. You can see everything Conor’s throwing. He has a big right hand, don’t get me wrong, but you can see it coming. He’s gonna load up with it.”

The former two-time super lightweight world champion then compared Benn’s attributes to the likes of Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney, two men Benn has publicly targeted.

“I’ve been in the ring with Devin and Shakur – both of them don’t have too much power, but they’re sharpshooters. They don’t get hit and stuff like that, and they will hit you with punches you don’t see coming.”

Prograis – who announced his retirement post-fight – also lost a unanimous decision to Haney, but was knocked down in the process. His rounds with Stevenson came in the gym

Benn remains focused on power puncher Ryan Garcia, who holds the WBC welterweight title for which he is mandatory challenger.

Wales will face Romania in a friendly in Bucharest on Saturday, 6 June.

Having failed to qualify for this summer’s World Cup, Craig Bellamy’s side will take on the Romanians – who were also beaten in last month’s World Cup play-offs – at the 31,000-seater Steaua Stadium.

It will be the first meeting of the nations since the infamous game in Cardiff 1993, when Paul Bodin missed a penalty as Wales lost out to Romania in their bid to qualify for the 1994 World Cup.

In the same qualifying campaign Wales lost 5-1 at the Steaua Stadium in May 1992.

This summer’s Romania trip comes four days after Wales take on Ghana at Cardiff City Stadium in another friendly on Tuesday, 2 June.

The kick-off time in Romania is to be confirmed.

British record holder Dina Asher-Smith and Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred are set to feature in the sprint programme at this summer’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

With 100 days to go until the Games begin on 23 July, England’s Asher-Smith will be hoping to add a first individual Commonwealth gold to her extensive medal collection at Scotstoun Stadium.

The 30-year-old, who holds the British records for the women’s 60m, 100m and 200m, could continue her rivalry with Saint Lucia’s Alfred, who claimed 100m gold and 200m silver at the Paris Olympics in 2024.

Asher-Smith, a 200m world champion in 2019 and multiple European champion, said: “I’m really excited and I’m definitely aiming to compete at both the Europeans and the Commonwealth Games, mainly because it’s going to be so much fun.

“You are going to see a lot of talented athletes come out and perform, from all across the world. From the Caribbean nations to the African nations and all across the Commonwealth, I think there are going to be some incredible performances.

“I think we’re also going to have a lot of Scottish newcomers as well, so you should definitely come and support.”

Alfred, who will be looking to go one better than the 100m silver she claimed in Birmingham in 2022, added: “The Commonwealth title is very much one I would like to add as I try to build a legacy so that when I do one day step away from the track, people will say I accomplished everything I possibly could.”

In the other second-leg quarter-final taking place on Tuesday, Atletico Madrid host Barcelona, who lost the first leg (2–0). The Catalan side will be without Raphinha through injury and Cubarsí through suspension, while Diego Simeone has underlined that his team’s aim is “a clear objective: qualification”. Lamine Yamal, meanwhile, stressed the need to play without losing their identity.

On the international stage, France‘s women’s team face the Netherlands in a two-legged tie on Tuesday and Saturday for World Cup qualification, with Mbock and Bacha returning to Laurent Bonadei’s squad.

Finally, in the NBA, Detroit finished top of the Eastern Conference ahead of Boston and New York, while Oklahoma City lead the Western Conference ahead of San Antonio and Denver. The play-in tournament begins this Tuesday for teams ranked from seventh to tenth.

Unified WBC, WBA and IBF heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk takes on kickboxing sensation Rico Verhoeven at the Pyramids of Giza next month. On that card, a future opponent for the Ukrainian could be determined.

Usyk will defend the WBC belt when he takes on Verhoeven in Egypt. On the undercard, Hamzah Sheeraz and Alem Begic compete for the vacant WBO super-middleweight world title, whilst Jack Catterall and Shakhram Giyasov clash in a bout to crown a WBA Regular welterweight champion.

In terms of the heavyweight picture, Cuba’s Frank Sanchez and the United States’ Richard Torrez Jr have a chance to impess on a big stage, with both men looking to earn a shot at the heavyweight throne.

Sanchez-Torrez is a long-awaited IBF final eliminator, meaning that the victor will be installed as Usyk’s mandatory challenger and thus be ordered for a fight with the Ukrainian, who could face being stripped of his IBF world title if he does not agree to defend his belt against the winner. The unified champion has not mentioned either man in his three-fight plan before retirement.

Unlike the WBC, neither the IBF or the WBA have confirmed that they will allow Usyk to defend their belts against 1-0 boxer Verhoeven, meaning he could be stripped of the titles regardless. Should that be the case, the winner of Sanchez-Torrez may well be elevated to full IBF world champion, just as Daniel Dubois was back in 2024 shortly after defeating Filip Hrgovic in a final eliminator.

Usyk-Verhoeven will take place on Saturday, May 23, with a total of four world title contests on offer, as well as the intriguing showdown between Sanchez and Torrez Jr.