Anthony Joshua was back to a more familiar weight as he sidestepped questions about Tyson Fury ahead of his return to the ring against Kristian Prenga.

Joshua tipped the scales at 251lbs – more than 11lbs lighter than Albanian fighter Prenga (261.4lbs) – in Saudi Arabia after being weight-restricted in his last fight against Youtuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in December.

The former two-weight champion weighed in at 252.5lbs for his previous fight against Daniel Dubois in September 2024.

Joshua must win in Jeddah on Saturday night to secure a potential heavyweight blockbuster against Fury, who secured his side of the bargain by stopping veteran Polish fighter Mariusz Wach in Pattaya, Thailand, on Friday.

The 36-year-old managed to dodge questions about Fury after the weigh-in by grabbing the DAZN microphone and orchestrating back and forth cheers between the British and Albanian fans.

“We’re feeling good,” said Joshua, who is back in action for the first time since he was involved in a car crash in Nigeria which killed close friends Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele and Sina Ghami just days after the Paul fight.

“It’s going down tomorrow night in Jeddah. Let’s go people. Big up everyone for coming out. Tomorrow will be good.”

Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn said: “The work’s done. It’s not going to be easy because this isn’t a guy (Prenga) with a bundle of defeats and coming here for a payday.

“He’s got the whole country behind him by the sound of things as well.

“It’s going to be a great atmosphere, a big fight and a big opportunity.

“We know what comes the other side, but we’re not looking at that because we’ve got to deal with this guy.”

Gautam Gambhir and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (Agency Image)

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi announced himself on the international stage in spectacular fashion during India’s first T20I against Zimbabwe on Thursday, becoming the youngest player ever to score a maiden T20I half-century.The 15-year-old became the youngest player to score a maiden T20I half-century after racing to an 18-ball fifty in Harare. It was a timely response from the teenage batter, who had managed scores of 14, 13 and 15 in his first three appearances for India during the T20I series against England. Following those outings, Sooryavanshi was left out of the playing XI for the fifth and final T20I. His exclusion came amid intense scrutiny over India’s selection decisions. Earlier in the England series, Sanju Samson, who had been India’s Player of the Tournament during their T20 World Cup-winning campaign, was dropped from the side, with Sooryavanshi brought into the XI. However, for the fifth match, the management reversed course, restoring Samson and leaving out the youngster. Samson was subsequently omitted from India’s squad for the Zimbabwe tour. Former India captain and ex-BCCI selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth admitted he was baffled by the decision to drop Sooryavanshi after only three failures and took aim at head coach Gautam Gambhir over the move. “He (Sooryavanshi) has an effortless range of shots, yet, not one shot was cross-batted. This boy is really something special. How did Gautam Gambhir foolishly drop him, of all people, after three failures to crush his confidence?” said Srikkanth, speaking on his YouTube channel, as quoted by Sportskeeda. With Gambhir not accompanying the team on the Zimbabwe tour, former India batter VVS Laxman is serving as the side’s interim head coach. Srikkanth also highlighted the youngster’s commitment to improvement, revealing that Sooryavanshi immediately returned to work after the England series rather than taking a break. “I salute Vaibhav for his dedication. After the England series, he didn’t go home and instead went straight to the Rajasthan Royals camp. He has been working on his batting against the short ball because he wants to prove to the whole world that he is special,” Srikkanth added. The 1983 World Cup winner was equally impressed by the fearless approach shown by Sooryavanshi despite the pressure of retaining his place in the national side. According to Srikkanth, many young players would have opted for a safer route after a string of low scores, but the teenager remained committed to his attacking game. “The ease at which he scores at a 250 strike rate is extraordinary. Normally, after three failures, other players would have tried to safeguard their place in the Indian team by taking singles and twos. But he played fearlessly without worrying about the consequences. Scoring a 50 off 18 balls has become child’s play for him. That’s his greatness,” Srikkanth elaborated.Sooryavanshi’s explosive innings not only earned him a place in the record books but also strengthened his case as one of India’s most exciting young batting talents. Srikkanth’s comments also highlighted the selection dilemmas and team combination questions India continue to face.

Scintillation, resuming her campaign, settled just off the pace before taking control of the Marcellin College Randwick Handicap (1100m) in the early part of the straight and easily held off her challengers.

Master trainer John O’Shea commented to Racing And Sports that Scintillation has successfully executed the first step of a long-range plan.

“We decided some months ago to target this race and if she ran well then we will take her to Melbourne for the Group 3 $200,000 Quezette Stakes at Caulfield in three weeks,” said O’Shea, who trains in partnership with Tom Charlton.

“I’m not sure how she will go on racing the Melbourne direction so the Caulfield race will determine what we do with her in the spring.

“But she’s a very promising filly and it was good to see her get the job done today.”

The four-year-old filly, Scintillation ($7.50), drew clear to win by three-quarters of a length from the closing Suasion ($18), with Lorax ($18) a further neck away in third.

Letters Patent, the $2.80 favourite, was given every chance by jockey James McDonald but could only manage fifth.

Scintillation had two prior starts this season, winning on debut at Gosford and then picking up black type when third behind Medicinal in the Group 3 Ottawa Stakes.

If the O’Shea-Charlton filly proves successful at stakes level, she will become a highly valuable potential broodmare, given her exceptional pedigree by champion sire I Am Invincible, out of his first foal from Minhaaj, a daughter of Exceed And Excel.

O’Shea also trained Minhaaj to win three Group 3 races, including The Nivison in 2021.

Promising young jockey Zac Lloyd expressed his belief in Scintillation’s bright future following her convincing win.

“I might have got to the front too soon but she was always going to win,” Lloyd said.

“She was actually drawing away from them again on the line, she was very strong late in the race.

“But I think she is essentially a sprinter – she is bred to be a sprinter and is only going to improve with racing.”

Check out the latest spring carnival odds with Australia’s top racing odds providers.

To understand how Rodri, Anderson and someone like Bouaddi might come together, it is key to understand Maresca’s game model.

As a disciple of positional play, he draws comparisons between his football and chess.

“There are a lot of similarities,” Maresca said. “The most important is positional play and strategy.

“For a coach, it’s important to have the mentality of a chess player: develop a plan, study counter-moves, choose the arrangement of the pieces.”

Maresca’s strategy has largely been rooted in an on-the-ball shape that looks like a 3-2-2-3.

One of Rodri’s most useful qualities in a Maresca side would be his ability to move between these predefined positions on the pitch.

Throughout the World Cup, for example, we saw him drop into the backline when former City team-mate Aymeric Laporte pushed up with the ball.

Naturally, Rodri spent most of the game in a holding midfield position, but when space opened up he was more than capable of pushing forward too.

BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla has firmly rejected rumours over Rohit Sharma‘s international future, stating there is “no question” of the India opener retiring at this stage despite growing speculation during the recent England tour.Questions over Rohit’s future gathered pace after a prolonged lean patch with the bat, with reports suggesting the third ODI against England at Lord’s could potentially be his final appearance for India. However, the 39-year-old answered those doubts in emphatic fashion by smashing 138 off 110 balls, becoming the first Indian batter to score an ODI century at the iconic venue.Speaking to reporters, Shukla rubbished the retirement rumours and insisted there was no truth to the speculation.“Rohit Sharma is a part of our team and is continuing to play. The things being circulated in the media and on social media have no meaning. As of now, there is no question of his retirement,” Shukla said.Rohit’s century at Lord’s also reinforced his own stance on his future. The India opener has consistently maintained that he wants to continue representing the country and remains determined to secure a place in India’s squad for the 2027 ODI World Cup.In an interview with BCCI.tv after his match-winning innings, Rohit made it clear that outside speculation would not distract him from his responsibilities.“My job is with the bat. Come and play, represent my country, represent my team. That’s what I have been told to do since my debut so that’s what I am going to do,” Rohit said.“The noise since I made my debut was there. And till the time I am going to stay here, it is always going to be there. So it doesn’t really matter too much. What matters is what I do on the field, try and contribute to the success of the team. That’s all my focus is right now. And let the noise be there. If there is no noise, there is no fun.”Shukla also brushed aside calls for changes in India’s leadership group following criticism directed at captain Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir.“Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but the decision on who stays in the team and who does not rests with the selectors. The Indian team is performing well and winning matches, so there is no need for any changes at present,” Shukla said.Although Rohit’s century at Lord’s was one of the highlights of the tour, India finished the United Kingdom leg on a disappointing note. The visitors lost the ODI series against England 2-1 after earlier suffering a 2-0 defeat to Ireland and a 4-0 loss in the T20I series against England.

CHICAGO — A lot has changed since Elena Delle Donne retired. The league has expanded to 15 teams, with three more on the way, a new collective bargaining agreement has brought significantly higher salaries, and, most important of all, the trophies are a lot bigger. 

The two-time MVP and 2019 champion with the Mystics was back in the winners circle Friday after helping Team Washington claim the inaugural Shooting Stars competition at All-Star Weekend in Chicago alongside Shakira Austin and high school star Jezelle “GG” Banks. 

“This is the best trophy I got in my whole career,” Delle Donne joked. “This is nice.”

Banks, who spent multiple years at Delle Donne’s former high school – Ursuline Academy in Wilmington, Delaware – hit the championship-clinching shot in Friday’s competition, which brought together the past, present and future of the league as part of the WNBA’s season-long 30th anniversary celebration.

“I loved it. I hope the viewers loved it,” Delle Donne said. “To be able to lead the next generation and see our next superstars rising, it’s gonna be really cool when she’s in this down the road when she’s a WNBA All-Star.”

Banks led Team USA to a gold medal at the U18 AmeriCup earlier this year, and her performance Friday was another reminder that the league is in good hands moving forward – thanks in large part to the sacrifice of those like Delle Donne, who was drafted No. 2 overall in 2013. 

“I came into the league and made the choice to try to stay home and be marketable. Going overseas, there was a lot of money to be made there, but I did feel like we were losing the market and people would forget about the WNBA in the offseason,” Delle Donne said. 

“When I came in as a rookie, I wanted to try my best to be marketable, get a signature shoe, do all those things. There were a lot of moments where it was like, ‘This is hard, I don’t know if this is gonna happen,’” Delle Donne continued. “You just keep your head down, keep working and trust in the process. I’m so proud of where this league is and where it will continue to go.”

From 2013-15, not a single team drew 10,000 fans per game. Over that same stretch, multiple teams were averaging fewer than 6,000 fans, including the 2015 San Antonio Silver Stars, who were pulling in just 4,800 a night. 

“We were told you need to do this or this league is folding. There was never talk of expansion or anything. It was like we gotta do everything we possibly can to make this continue to happen,” Delle Donne said. “I’m thrilled that that conversion is over with and everybody gets to see how incredible this game is and where it’s gonna go.”

Fast forward to this season, and nine of the league’s 15 teams are averaging at least 10,000 fans, three are above 15,000 per game and the Golden State Valkyries have sold out every game. 

Nothing highlights how far the league has come as much as All-Star Weekend. Team Washington won Shooting Stars and Azzi Fudd won the 3-Point Contest in front of a packed house at Wintrust Arena, just down the block from WNBA Live, a three-day interactive fan experience. Come Saturday, the All-Star Game will tip-off at a sold-out United Center, which holds over 20,000 people. 

“My first [All-Star Game], it was almost just like pulling up for a scrimmage and leaving,” Delle Donne said. “Now it’s a whole weekend and everybody is getting celebrated the way they should.”

That includes Delle Donne, one of the league’s all-time great talents. Lyme disease and back injuries limited her to 241 games over 10 seasons and forced her to retire at 33, but she’s still inspiring the next generations – on and off the court. 

Austin, who played with Delle Donne in Washington from 2022-23, said having the opportunity to take the floor with her again was a “great moment” and brought things “full circle.” Now, she wants to leave the league in a better place for Banks, just as Delle Donne did for her. 

“That CBA was transformational,” Austin said. “At the end of the day, it’s about continuing to pave the way and keep fighting for more. I don’t think we’re done. By the time [Banks] gets into the WNBA, there’s gonna be a whole other CBA that’s gonna be life changing. 

“Every day we’re just trying to continue to fight for women in sports and show that we have everything we need to make it and be successful. Just gotta give us the opportunity.”

After years of waiting, Indianola has finally done it.

In the program’s fifth-ever trip to the Iowa high school baseball state tournament and its first-ever state championship game, Indianola claimed the program’s first state championship with a 9-6 win over Pleasant Valley on Friday, July 24.​

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“This means everything,” said Indianola senior Zach Benge. “A lot of people sleep on the Indy boys, but we are here to play. We are here to compete.” ​

Now, the 2026 Indianola baseball team is cemented as the best team in school history, surpassing the historic 1969 team. But it took some time, unity, and understanding about what the next steps were to reach their goal. ​

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“I had a conversation with (former MLB star and Indianola native) Casey Blake about three years ago,” said Indianola coach Nathan Carlin. “I was the head coach at Bondurant-Ferrer at the time and (Casey) just said, ‘I want you to be our next head coach,’ and we just kind of bought into each other. His kids, his nephews, bought into me. The entire team, the entire community bought into what we were trying to do.”

​After last season’s substate final loss to Iowa City West, there was immediate conversation matched with hunger to get better, to learn from that loss.​

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“We took our lumps three years ago with a young team; last year we put it together. We had a really nice team, but we learned there was another level that to be a champion,” Carlin said. “That just motivated us for the next 365 days. We had a picture of City High holding the 4A state trophy in my classroom and in our dugout for the last year, and every day the kids walked by and looked at it and just knew they had to put in a little more.”​

More: Iowa high school state baseball tournament 2026: Scores, brackets

After Thursday night’s state semifinal win over Valley, Carlin said he wanted to keep things as normal as possible in preparation for the state title game.

​“We’re going to eat a good dinner, let them sleep a little bit, have a good breakfast, and then go lift,” Carlin said. “Some of our staff will stay, get a good scouting report done, and then we’ll go ahead and go through the same routine that we’ve done for every game.”​

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But what Carlin forgot to mention was his team would get a chance to take a tour of Carver-Hawkeye Arena and shoot some hoops – that’s how they finished their preparation before arriving at Veterans Memorial Stadium.​

And it turned out the pregame shootaround worked well and Indianola rushed out to a 5-0 lead after the first two innings.

But slowly Pleasant Valley began to make noise. Dawson Bales blasted a solo home run in the top of the third, and it ignited the Spartans. Mason McCaw singled to bring in Jackson O’Melia, and it was suddenly 5-2.​

But Indianola answered right back. Brody Merema doubled to bring in two runs in the bottom of the third, and a wild pitch scored Dallas Harlan. Things looked stable again for the No. 2 seed in the tournament.

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More: VOTE: Most outstanding player at 2026 Iowa state baseball tournament

But in the top of the sixth, the Spartans put pressure on Indianola pitcher Jackson Foust, ending his outing after 5 ⅔ innings and 79 pitches.​ Gavin Barber singled to bring in a run, then on a deep hit to right field, Bales came through again with a bases-clearing, three-RBI double. Pleasant Valley has all the momentum and was only down two runs, 8-6.​

Indianola used three pitchers in the sixth, from Foust to Joey Crabb, who went just six pitches, and then finally Jacob Orey, who got Indianola out of the sixth-inning jam. Pleasant Valley left two on after Orey struck out Evan Barr, but with an inning left, the game was far from over.

​”We were trying to stay after it, win every pitch,” said Pleasant Valley coach Derek Stecklein. “At that point, don’t worry about what happened earlier in the game, and focus on where we were and focus on every pitch.”

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Indianola added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth as Benge added to his three-RBI day, sending out a home run to the left field patio seats.

“I was so excited, got the barrel extended, and I didn’t even feel it off the bat,” he added.​

More: Des Moines Register seeks fall high school sports intern

That final run was all Indianola needed to secure its first state title. While the 27 players on the roster are thrilled with their accomplishment, they’re even more excited to finally bring a state title back to the nearly 17,000 people who reside just south of Des Moines.

“Indianola is a type of town where you get sucked in, and you don’t want to leave because it’s such a tight-knit community that has each other’s backs and is so supportive of you, and a baseball town,” Carlin said.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Indianola tops Pleasant Valley, wins program’s first Iowa baseball state title

Mar 28, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; UFC CEO Dana White talks to the press after the fight between Israel Adesanya (red gloves) and Joe Pyfer (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

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Former world champion Tony Bellew has compared the resumes of Joe Calzaghe and Carl Froch, while also naming a winner of their hypothetical prime-for-prime showdown.

While we will never know the true result of their fantasy fight, most would argue that Calzaghe’s Hall of Fame career was superior to that of Froch.

This is largely because he boasts the all-time record (21) for most consecutive successful world title defences at 168lbs, just five behind heavyweight legend Joe Louis’ pound-for-pound record.

Two of his most notable victories came against Mikkel Kessler and Jeff Lacy, while his light-heavyweight debut saw him outpoint a still-serviceable version of Bernard Hopkins in 2008.

Yet despite these high-profile performances, Bellew remains convinced that Froch crafted the more impressive resume during his own super-middleweight campaign.

Before losing to Kessler in 2010, ‘The Cobra’ had outpointed Jean Pascal for the WBC world title, which he defended with a stunning 12th-round finish over Jermain Taylor and a split decision triumph against Andre Dirrell.

Froch then eventually dethroned Lucian Bute after losing to Andre Ward, with further significant victories arriving against Kessler and George Groves.

But while believing that the Nottingham man generally faced a higher calibre of opposition, Bellew has told Fight Your Corner that Calzaghe would have ultimately beaten him.

“Carl has got a better resume than Joe Calzaghe, he has. I don’t think that he would have beaten Joe Calzaghe, but he has got a better resume than him.”

“Carl’s career, on paper, is better than Joe Calzaghe’s.”

Managing to defeat every opponent with a masterful southpaw style, Calzaghe eventually retired with an unblemished record of 46-0 (32 KOs).

Source: Polaris

To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best. Polaris is claiming they are such, and the company is so confident that it’s putting money on it. And not small change, either; we’re talking about $50,000 here. The brand is putting a big ‘ol $50k smackaroos up for grabs for any non-Polaris driver that can beat them in the Baja 400, and if nobody can, that purse carries over to the Baja 1000. Any takers?

Source: Polaris

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Polaris’ SCORE Challenge is more than the actual race itself, and it is leaning heavily on the RZR Factory Racing team to kick ass and take names. the Pro UTV Class is its domain, and it has Brock Heger, Cayden MacCachre, Ethan Groom, and Joe Terrana to do battle on its behalf. Consider Polaris locked and loaded.

“The goal of the SCORE Challenge is to reward top racers for racing Baja and create even more opportunities for head-to-head competition at the highest level,” said Alex Scheuerell, Polaris’ Director of Off-Road Motorsports. “When the best teams and drivers compete, everyone benefits-the sport grows, the competition gets stronger, and the fans get the racing they want to see.

So, long story short, Polaris is offering up $50k to any racer that can beat it on what is effectively its home turf. We wouldn’t wage that battle, but we do know other manufacturers might. And to take that whole “king of the castle” notion, there’s a lot of mindset behind it.

Anyways, we salute Polaris for the challenge they set. We’ll let Muse do the rest of the talking for us:

Best, you’ve got to be the best

You’ve got to change the world

And use this chance to be heard

Your time is now (your time is now)

You heard them. Now.