James Toney has assessed whether the perceived size and strength advantages of Rolando Romero will see him retain his world title against Teofimo Lopez.

Romero became the WBA ‘Regular’ champion in May 2025, producing a calculated performance that saw him drop and unanimously outpoint Ryan Garcia.

Prior to that, the American campaigned in the 135 and 140lb divisions, but now seems a more physically imposing operator at welterweight.

He has also been awarded the full WBA title since his last outing, against Garcia, with Lopez bidding to become a three-division world champion when they lock horns this Saturday.

The pair will square off at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena, where ‘The Takeover’ hopes to silence the noise of his unanimous decision defeat to Shakur Stevenson in January.

Back then, the outcome of a Stevenson victory came as no real surprise, yet few had expected him to dethrone Lopez in such dominant fashion.

The 29-year-old will therefore have a point to prove when he steps through the ropes this weekend, joining the 147lb division after losing his WBO super-lightweight title.

Hall of Famer Toney, however, has told Fight Hub TV that he favours the physical attributes of Romero over Lopez’s superior skillset and world-level experience.

“I like both fighters. I know Teo’s going up [in weight] – it should be a good fight – but I think Rolly’s shown he’s come on a lot. Rolly is rolling. He’s too big, too strong.”

It is worth noting, too, that Lopez has only claimed one stoppage victory – a seventh-round finish over Pedro Campa – since moving up from 135lbs.

Lakshya Sen’s campaign at the 2026 BWF World Championships came to an unexpected end on Wednesday as unseeded American Garret Tan rallied from a game down to beat the 14th-seeded Indian 19-21, 21-19, 21-17 in the men’s singles round of 32 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi.

In a contest in which Sen repeatedly fought his way back from sizeable deficits, Tan found the decisive tactical adjustment late in the third game. The American said he realised Sen had begun anticipating his attacks to one side and changed direction at the crucial stage.

“I think in the third set, I kept on hitting to one side, and he kept on preparing. In the last couple of points, I just changed direction, and it worked,” Tan said after sealing one of the biggest wins of his young career.

Sen took the opening game but was forced to play catch-up for much of the contest thereafter. He mounted late recoveries in both the second and deciding games, only for Tan to hold his nerve when the pressure was at its highest.

“I think it was a good match. I would give a lot of credit to my opponent; he played a very solid game,” Sen said after the defeat.

“Towards the third set, both of us were completely exhausted. I think I gave it my all in the end, but it was just not enough to win this match, and I am a little bit disappointed.”

Sen edges tight opening game

Sen once again endured a slow start but recovered to take a closely fought opening game 21-19.

There was little to separate the two shuttlers as the game progressed, with Tan’s attacking play repeatedly putting the Indian under pressure. Sen, however, stayed in touch and found the points he needed at the business end to move a game ahead.

The pattern continued in the second game, with Sen falling 0-4 behind before opening his account through a well-worked point at the net.

Any hopes of quickly wiping out the deficit were checked by Tan, who restored his advantage and moved 6-3 ahead. Sen gradually reduced the gap, but the American continued to stay in front and went into the mid-game interval with an 11-8 advantage.

Tan remained the more assured player after the break, keeping Sen under pressure with his attack and forcing the Indian to repeatedly chase the score.

“I would say he was quite dominant throughout the match. I mean, I was always playing the catch-up game,” Sen said.

“I still had my chances. I was always covering up the scores, but again, eventually he was taking those points. I was playing a lot of times under pressure and always trying to play the catch-up game.”

Late fightback falls short in second game

With Tan moving 19-14 ahead, Sen was staring at the prospect of conceding the game without much resistance. The American subsequently reached 20-15 and earned five game points, only for Sen to finally find some momentum.

Backed by the home crowd, the Indian saved four consecutive game points to close the gap to 19-20. Tan, however, stopped the comeback at the final hurdle and closed out the game 21-19 to force a decider.

The frustration was evident as Sen threw his racquet away in disgust after conceding the game.

The crowd, which had grown increasingly vocal during Sen’s late charge, fell quiet as the Indian returned to court for the deciding game.

Tan, meanwhile, said he had entered the match without dwelling too much on the reputation of his opponent.

Asked whether he had watched extensive footage of Sen before the match, the American said: “No, not really. I just wanted to go in and play my best. I didn’t want to really think too much.”

For Tan, who said this was his first World Championships, the victory carried added significance.

“I’m feeling pretty okay, and I’m super happy about this win,” he said.

Tan takes control of decider

Sen again found himself on the back foot early in the third game.

Tan opened up an 8-2 advantage as Sen struggled for consistency, with a series of wayward smashes and errors allowing the American to take control. Tan mixed his attack well and punished short lifts, while Sen was unable to impose himself consistently at the net.

The American extended the lead to 11-4 at the interval, leaving Sen with a sizeable deficit to overturn and his World Championships campaign under serious threat.

That was when Sen produced his best spell of the game.

From 4-12 down, the Indian reeled off six consecutive points. A combination of sharper net play, aggressive smashes and errors from Tan brought Sen back to 10-12 and revived the home crowd.

Tan responded before Sen could draw level, stretching his advantage again to 15-10 before the Indian launched another recovery.

A long rally with Sen trailing 11-16 ended with the Indian finding the opening for a decisive smash. Tan, though, immediately responded with a well-placed attacking shot to move 17-12 ahead.

Sen refused to go away.

He won three consecutive points to close to 15-17, with the last of those coming after another extended rally in which Sen opened up the court before placing his smash beyond Tan’s reach.

Tan then required medical attention before returning to the court.

The American later explained that he had hurt himself while attempting a slide.

“I went for the slide, and then I hit my head a little bit and wasn’t feeling really well, because that happened in my previous match a couple of weeks ago, and the same thing happened,” Tan said.

On the resumption, Sen immediately reduced the deficit to a single point at 16-17, raising hopes of another comeback.

But it was at this stage that Tan made the tactical change that ultimately decided the contest. Having repeatedly attacked one side, he switched direction as Sen began preparing for the familiar pattern.

The change worked.

Tan won the next three points to move to 20-16 and earn four match points. Sen saved the first, but there was to be no final escape as the American took the next point to seal the deciding game 21-17.

As Tan celebrated, Sen was left to reflect on a contest in which he spent much of the evening trying to recover from deficits.

Sen felt the playing conditions had not handed either player a significant advantage.

“Both the sides were pretty even today. All three games were 21-19, 21-19 and 21-17, so I don’t think there was a clear advantage on any side today,” he said.

“The rallies were long. I think, compared to the other days, the drift was not playing such a big role. You can see the scorelines; it was even.” 

“The strategies were the same because he was quite solid in his attack and also in his defence, so I was not getting many chances,” Sen said.

By the end, fatigue had also begun to tell on both players.

“The match was quite tough, and I was completely exhausted towards the third set,” Sen said. “It was a very tough match.”

For Tan, the final few points came down to recognising what Sen was anticipating and doing something different — a small tactical switch that brought an abrupt end to the Indian’s home World Championships campaign.

How does J.J. McCarthy as the QB3 sound? Some readers will bristle, others rejoice, and then some may be rolling their eyes. Regardless of where you land, there’s a simple reality: the idea is out there.

Check out what Mike Florio had to say over on Pro Football Talk: “Last week, the question was whether Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy would be No. 1 or No. 2 on the depth chart. This week, it’s fair to wonder whether he’s in a fight that will determine who’s No. 2 — and who’s No. 3.”

Some further thoughts from Florio as background on how McCarthy played against the Giants: “McCarthy handled three drives, generating zero points. The first and last were three-and-outs. One ended with an off-target throw on third down. The other ended with a sack.”

Could Carson Wentz actually leapfrog the kid?

J.J. McCarthy as the Possible QB3

So far, Mr McCarthy has been through quite a lot. Most notably, the knee injury, ankle injury, wrist injury, and concussion have constrained him to just ten games across a possible thirty four (alongside that added playoff game at the end of 2024 and the missed preseason action).

But then there’s been what has taken place on the gridiron rather than the infirmary. McCarthy has improved but still struggles. Nobody questions his arm talent, commitment, and/or potential. However, the young fella can struggle out there, creating a scenario where questions can arise. He can shutdown any and all speculation by sizzling but that’s not yet something that has occurred.

Rolling with Carson Wentz as the QB2 would be a bold, controversial decision.

The veteran passer is very well respected inside of TCO Performance Center. Coming in, Wentz’s experience, size, and brains impressed. But then he was so tough last year that it’s hard to find anybody around the team without good things to say about the No. 2 pick who is now a journeyman.

Signing him was with an aim of fully solidifying the QB3 job; after all, he’s the definition of low maintenance, meaning he can be thrown into the mix with zero preparation and still do well.

On Sunday, that QB3 job can be referred to as the emergency QB3 position. These two jobs sometimes get close to being a single circle on the Venn diagram but there should still be some room where the circles don’t overlap.

An emergency QB3 can only enter the game due to an “emergency.” What that means is that both of the QB1 and QB2 went down with injury. The emergency QB3 is dressed as an extra active player who can only be inserted for that specific scenario. Seeing the top pair of arms play terribly isn’t good enough reason to insert that QB3.

Alternatively, the Vikings could dress a trio of quarterbacks, leaving that “emergency” tag to languish unused. Doing so means not getting the extra body in uniform but it does come with flexibility. In theory, Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy could both bomb, prompting Kevin O’Connell to bench the top two guys for the gritty veteran.

Or, perhaps, the Vikings try to have the best of both words (have they ever tried such a thing?). List McCarthy as the QB2 and Wentz as the QB3. Proceed as if that’s the reality. But then what happens if Wentz gets included in the normal allotment of dressed players rather than being sent into the mix as the extra? That action would say a ton without any words being said.

Failing to use the emergency QB provision would leave the Vikings with the freedom to insert Wentz for whatever reason they desire. That would be an almighty litmus test that strains the public chatter about confidence in J.J. McCarthy to the limits, were that situation to ever arise.

In the scenario being considered, Murray could need to step away for a series to fix a minor issue. Designating Wentz as the QB3 who gobbles up one of the normal active spots would involve the freedom of inserting him in that moment, bypassing McCarthy along the way.

At the heart of the issue is whether Minnesota desires a higher ceiling or a higher floor. J.J. McCarthy has far more potential and possibly a lower floor. Carson Wentz has way less potential and possibly (probably?) a higher floor. Think a boom or bust candidate versus a sturdy game manager. Who among these two options best allows the Minnesota Vikings to compete?

J.J. McCarthy, 23, is going to look to send the idea about further demotion to the graveyard. He can do so by shredding a very impressive Ravens team in joint practices and then in the preseason.

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

A WWE Hall of Famer recently made shocking remarks about Tony Khan. He went on to say that All Elite Wrestling rejected him because his political ideology was different than that of the AEW President and his father.

WWE Hall of Famer Road Dogg has been pretty active on his social media lately. He was involved in social media banter with Dave Meltzer on X. Amidst that, a fan said that Dogg should not get involved in such activities; otherwise, Tony Khan would not allow him to join All Elite Wrestling.

Well, Dogg replied to that fan with an eyebrow-raising comment. He said that AEW did not take him because of his ideology. The WWE Hall of Famer even claimed that Tony Khan’s father, Shahid Khan, donated to Donald Trump and his party. These comments clearly showcased Road Dogg‘s frustration with All Elite Wrestling.

“Actually, I was turned away because of my political/ core beliefs That happened IN AMERICA 🇺🇸 I didn’t donate to or vote for Trump, BUT his old man did, why was I punished ?” posted Dogg.

Check out the X post below:

Before Tony Khan, Road Dogg took a jab at Dave Meltzer

Road Dogg recently made a major claim about a tag team in AEW. He said The Gunns are an incredible tag team, and the AEW World Tag Team Championships are beneath them right now. Pro-wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer called out Dogg for his comment by highlighting that FTR, the Young Bucks, and Cope & Cage have all been AEW World Tag Team Champions to elevate the title’s prestige.

In response, Dogg sarcastically asked for forgiveness from Dave Meltzer. He said that only Meltzer is allowed to give an opinion about wrestling online. The former WWE star called it a “5-star” tweet as a shot at the journalist’s 5-star match ratings.

“My bad Dave, I forgot, when it comes to wrestling, ONLY your opinion matters 5 star tweet sir!” posted Dogg.

Things seem to be heating up between Road Dogg and Dave Meltzer right now. Nonetheless, fans are excited to see what else Dogg will be saying about Tony Khan from here on out. Earlier, there were rumors that the former WWE star may join AEW, but it seems like those rumors are now done for good.