David Benavidez is poised to compete in a three-belt unification in December, but former pound-for-pound king Terence Crawford believes there is an alternate fighter that ‘The Mexican Monster’ should face next.

Benavidez stepped up 25lbs as he made the leap from light-heavyweight to cruiserweight in May, debuting in the 200lb division in a clash for Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez’s unified WBA and WBO world titles and halting the champion in the sixth round.

‘The Mexican Monster’ has since said that he will not be returning to the light-heavyweight scene, despite originally intending to do so prior to his fight with Ramirez, leaving two Brits to potentially meet for the vacant WBC light-heavyweight crown whilst he pursues cruiserweight domination.

Upon his next outing, Benavidez is set to collide with newly-elevated WBC cruiserweight ruler Michal Cieslak on December 12 in Phoenix, Arizona, as he seeks to add a third belt to his cruiserweight collection.

Although, in the eyes of Crawford, Benavidez should instead face fellow undefeated cruiserweight poster boy Jai Opetaia, with that contest listed amongst a host of bouts that Crawford declared he wants to see in a post on his X account.

Opetaia was in action earlier this month, as he stopped Noel Mikaelian to extend his unbeaten record to 31-0, though he remains without any world titles after being stripped of his IBF belt after defeating Brandon Glanton in March.

Whilst a fight between Benavidez and Opetaia will not take place this year, the victor of Benavidez-Cieslak will be ordered to face the Aussie in the fight that follows, with reports of a potential Cinco De Mayo show, which could also feature Ryan Garcia as well as the cruiserweight duo, already beginning to emerge.

India’s Hriday Vipul Chheda competes in the Equestrian Dressage Individual Final event at the 19th Asian Games, in Hangzhou, China. (PTI File Photo)

NEW DELHI: A horse declared “unfit” by the Equestrian Federation of India’s (EFI) ad-hoc committee in Germany has now been declared fit by Asian Games organisers in Japan, putting the spotlight on the veterinary assessment process used to determine Hriday Chheda’s participation in the continental event.Chheda’s 19-year-old horse, Dono Di Maggio, cleared the mandatory veterinary inspection ahead of Friday’s dressage competition, directly clearing the way for the rider to compete. The contrasting findings have left Chheda questioning why Dono was declared unfit in Aachen and whether the assessment ordered by the ad-hoc committee was fair.“My horse is perfectly fit and healthy as checked in the mandatory vet inspection by the organisers. This has been a relief. I’d like to thank Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha for supporting me and ensuring that I get my fair chance to compete here. I’m looking forward to winning a medal for India,” Chheda told TOI from Tokyo.

Riders draw up own start order

Meanwhile, another selection dispute has surfaced in the dressage squad. TOI has learnt that three riders — Gaurav Pundir, Chheda and Shruti Vora — have rejected the start order proposed by the ad-hoc committee for Friday’s competition and formally submitted their own sequence to the panel and India’s chef-de-mission Sahdev Yadav.In their mail, the riders said the order should be based on “objective merit, experience, recent results and scores”. They proposed that the youngest and least experienced rider, Jai Sud, go first. Their suggested order is: Jai Sud, Hriday Chheda/Gaurav Pundir, Gaurav Pundir/Hriday Chheda and Shruti Vora.The riders pointed out that Sud began competing internationally only in March 2026 and has no previous championship experience at this level. Chheda was part of India’s 2023 Hangzhou Games gold-medal winning team, Pundir was part of India’s 2025 Asian Continental Championships silver-medal winning team, while senior rider Vora is a triple silver medallist from the same event.

Coaches may briefly lose on-field contact with with players throughout the game

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Sep 24, 2026

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The 2026 WNBA regular season will come to a close Thursday with a five-game slate that includes critical games at both ends of the standings. While all eight playoff spots have long been locked up, only four teams are locked into their seeds and only one first-round series is set. And, in what you could easily argue is an even more consequential standings-related matter, the top odds for the No. 1 pick in the 2027 WNBA Draft are still up for grabs. 

Here are the seeds already locked:

The only first-round series we know as of now is Lynx vs. Liberty, which will be a rematch of the 2024 Finals. The Nos. 2, 3, 5 and 6 seeds are to be determined, as are the 2 vs. 7, 3 vs. 6 and 4 vs. 5 first-round matchups. 

Here’s a look at Thursday night’s schedule:

All times Eastern

Remarkably, every single remaining game matters in some way — even Tempo vs. Sun, which may be the most important of them all. Before the action begins, here’s a closer look at what’s at stake:

Valkyries vs. Aces for No. 2 seed

The Valkyries held the Portland Fire scoreless for the first 6:40 of their matchup on Tuesday and led 17-0, but collapsed and eventually lost in overtime. That result not only allowed the Minnesota Lynx to back into the No. 1 seed, but left the Valkyries with work to do to secure the No. 2 seed. 

The Valkyries are one game up on the third-place Aces, but the Aces have the tiebreaker between the clubs after winning the season series 3-0. If the Valkyries beat the Sparks (they’re 11.5-point favorites), they will get the No. 2 seed and play the Wings in the first round, and the Aces would be the No. 3 seed. But if the Valkyries lose and the Aces beat the Mercury, the Aces would jump the Valkyries for the No. 2 seed and the Valkyries would fall to No. 3. 

Fever vs. Mystics for No. 5 seed

Over the weekend, the Mystics crushed the Fever in a consequential victory that gave Washington the tiebreaker between the clubs. Now, there’s a chance that the Mystics could use that tiebreaker to jump the Fever for the No. 5 seed. 

The Fever are one game up on the Mystics, and if they beat the Lynx in Minneapolis, they will secure the No. 5 seed and play the Dream in the first round. But if the Fever lose to the Lynx and the Mystics beat the Sky, the Mystics would take the No. 5 seed via the tiebreaker. 

On paper, the Fever have a much tougher matchup, but they just beat the Lynx so badly that Cheryl Reeve waved the white flag at halftime. Plus, Olivia Miles will once again be sidelined with a calf issue and the Lynx no longer have anything to play for. No one else on the Lynx is on the injury report, but it’s hard to imagine the starters playing heavy minutes when the playoffs start in three days. 

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Sun need loss for best lottery odds

Playoff seeding and first-round matchups are incredibly important, but the Valkyries, Aces, Fever and Mystics are already in the postseason in a year where there’s incredible parity and have strong foundations for the future. The Sun and the Tempo, on the other hand, need a lot of help. 

That makes Thursday’s matchup between two of the league’s worst teams arguably the most important game of the entire season. In fact, given the nature of the 2027 WNBA Draft, you could make a case this is one of the most consequential regular season games ever. 

After eight consecutive playoff appearances, the Sun were forced into a total rebuild when their entire core and coaching staff departed ahead of the 2024 season. The last two seasons have been rough. They went 11-33 last season and are 10-33 this season, which will be their last in Uncasville before moving to Houston in 2027. All of the losing would be worth it, however, if they get the best odds at the No. 1 pick in the JuJu Watkins draft.

But somehow, the expansion Tempo may have something to say about that. The Tempo were not planning to tank this season and got off to a 9-9 start that had them in the playoff hunt near the midpoint of the season. But due in large part to an array of injuries, they’ve gone 2-23 since then and fallen to 11-32. 

In an effort to combat tanking, the WNBA uses two-year aggregate records to determine lottery odds. But for the two expansion teams, the Tempo and Fire, the league will use only their records from this season, which is great news for Toronto and could add an extra layer of misery for the Sun. 

Here are the different permutations from tonight’s matchup:

Tempo win

• Sun: 21-67 (.239 winning percentage)
• Tempo: 12-32 (.273 winning percentage)

Sun win

• Sun: 22-66 (.250 winning percentage)
• Tempo: 11-33 (.250 winning percentage)

If the Tempo win, it’s simple. The Sun would have a worse winning percentage and get the best odds at the No. 1 pick. If the Sun win, however, things get more complicated. In that scenario, both clubs would have a .250 winning percentage. In that case, the teams would have the same number of lottery combinations, essentially splitting the odds evenly, according to TSN. If the number of combinations is odd, a tiebreaker would determine which team gets the extra combinations. In the event of a Sun win, both teams would have the same record this season, which is the first tiebreaker. The second tiebreaker is season head-to-head between the teams, which Toronto has already won.

The league has not yet announced the new lottery odds now that there are seven teams involved (up from five last year). As such, it’s currently unclear just how much of an edge the Sun or Tempo would gain from having the best odds. It figures to be substantial, however, and both teams will be desperate to have a better chance at Watkins, who has the potential to transform a franchise, both on and off the court. 

Clark vs. Thomas for the assist title

Outside of standings-related matters, the race for the assist title between Caitlin Clark and Alyssa Thomas is going down to the wire.

Clark led the league in assists as a rookie in 2024 at 8.4 per game, besting Thomas’ 7.9. Clark also set the single-season assists record that season with 337. Last season, however, Clark was limited to 13 games due to an array of injuries and Thomas took the crown. Her 9.2 assists per game led the league, and she set a new single-season record with 357. 

Both have been healthy this season, but Thomas has played two more games and 140 more minutes than Clark, and she currently holds a 349-330 lead in total assists. Thomas needs nine assists in Thursday’s finale against the Aces to break her own single-season record, but the assists leader for the season is determined on a per-game basis. 

On that front, Thomas holds a narrow margin: 8.512 assists per game to Clark’s 8.461 assists per game. It’s still possible for Clark to overtake Thomas with a big night, but the Fever must beat the Lynx on the road to secure the No. 5 seed, while the Mercury have long been eliminated from the playoffs. All that Thomas has left to play for is a new single-season assists record and this season’s assist title, and it will be far easier for her to hunt assists if she so chooses.  

If Thomas wins the assist title, she’ll become the first player since Courtney Vandersloot (2017-21) to lead the league in assists in back-to-back seasons. 

It’s also worth noting that there could be extra motivation for both players, given the infamous incident earlier this season in which Thomas put her fist on Clark’s throat and was retroactively assessed a Flagrant 2 foul and suspended for a game. 

The celebrated mare Winx has delivered her third foal at Coolmore Stud, arriving roughly three weeks beyond her expected due date, though the birth itself was uncomplicated.

Debbie Kepitis, a part-owner of the champion mare, informed Racing And Sports that everyone had been patiently anticipating the event, which finally occurred at approximately 10pm last night.

“Winx has been overdue with her foals before but we just let nature takes its course,” Mrs Kepitis said. “But both Winx and her foal are doing really well, it’s very exciting.”

Peter and Peter Tighe, fellow part-owners of Winx, had been present at Coolmore Stud for five days, hoping for the mare to foal. They had departed for home yesterday afternoon, just before the birth.

“We got home after 8pm and Winx gave birth an hour or two later,” Peter Tighe told Racing And Sports. “But all that matters is that Winx and her foal are healthy and well, so it’s great news. We are already planning to go back to the stud later this week to see Winx but all the reports we are getting from Coolmore is that she has produced a beautiful filly, probably her best foal yet.”

Tom Magnier, the driving force behind Coolmore Stud, noted the considerable excitement among the farm’s personnel following the arrival of Winx’s new foal.

“It’s been a long wait for Winx to have her foal but everything went smoothly last night,” Magnier said. “Winx is a wonderful ‘Mum’ and she has produced a very good foal so we are delighted. Winx was born and raised at Coolmore and it is an honour to have her back at the farm as a broodmare.”

This newborn represents Winx’s third foal. She previously produced a Pierro filly, acquired by Mrs Kepitis for a world-record $10 million at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sales two years prior, and a Snitzel colt, who is now a two-year-old and remains without a name.

The Pierro filly, named Quincineara, was retired without ever competing on the racetrack and was recently served by Super Seth. Winx’s Snitzel colt, which had to be withdrawn from the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale earlier this year, has completed its rehabilitation and is currently undergoing exercise on a water walker.

Mr Tighe stated that the ownership group will soon convene to discuss the possibility of Winx being served again this spring. However, it is probable that she will be granted some time off before returning to breeding duties next year.

Considered among the greatest racehorses ever, Winx amassed 37 wins from 43 starts, including a remarkable undefeated streak of 33 races, and holds a world record of 25 Group 1 victories. Trained by Chris Waller, her legendary career featured four Cox Plates, four George Ryder Stakes, three Queen Elizabeth Stakes, three George Main Stakes, a Doncaster Mile, and an Epsom Handicap, earning her Legend status and induction into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame.

Get the latest racing odds and place your bets with leading Australian betting sites at racing betting markets.

The stakes have now been raised ahead of the blockbuster Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua showdown.

It was finally officially confirmed today that the two men will meet at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Friday 11 December, with the event broadcast live on Netflix.

It sees the British stars collide having first been linked to a battle with one another over a decade ago, when they both held versions of the world heavyweight title.

It’s been several years since both men were world champions, with Fury losing his WBC heavyweight title to Oleksandr Usyk back in May 2024, while Joshua also lost his unified WBA, IBF and WBO belts against the Ukrainian back in September 2021.

Usyk went on to become undisputed heavyweight champion but no longer holds any of the belts after vacating his remaining titles earlier this year, and it seems that Fury and Joshua are going to benefit from that decision.

That is because it has been reported by The Ring’s Mike Coppinger that the vacant WBA ‘Super’ title is set to be on the line in the Fury vs. Joshua fight.

“Breaking: Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua will fight for the WBA ‘super’ heavyweight title, @ringmagazine has learned. Fury and AJ will both be looking to regain a heavyweight title. Usyk remains The Ring champ while Murat Gassiev is the current holder of the WBA’s ‘regular’ heavyweight title.”

Murat Gassiev became WBA Regular champion with a knockout win over Kubrat Pulev in December, before making a defence of that title against Peter Kadiru in July.

It was initially believed that the WBA had elevated him to full champion after Usyk vacated the belt, but it appears Gassiev will now have to play second fiddle to the Fury vs. Joshua victor.

Wednesday brought some clarity at quarterback in one building and plenty of uncertainty in others, as teams across the league finalized their injury reports ahead of Week 3. 

The Atlanta Falcons got good news heading into their Thursday night matchup against the Green Bay Packers, while two other franchises are still sorting out who’ll actually take the snaps this weekend.

Tua Tagovailoa is cleared to back up Michael Penix Jr. on Thursday, but the New York Giants are exploring every option at quarterback after losing Jaxson Dart for the season, and the Chicago Bears still don’t know whether Case Keenum, Tyson Bagent or Caleb Williams will start Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles. 

Here’s the latest from around the NFL on Wednesday.

With Jaxson Dart out for the season, John Harbaugh made clear the Giants aren’t ruling anything out at quarterback — including a trade for a starter. 

Jameis Winston will run the offense in Week 3 against the Titans, but Harbaugh confirmed the team plans to add another arm to the room, even if he wouldn’t name candidates.

Winston brings experience but hasn’t held a full-time starting job since 2019, and Jake Haener is the only other quarterback New York controls, sitting on the practice squad. 

Tests showed Dart avoided ACL damage, but tears to his MCL, PCL and meniscus will require surgery, with the meniscus the biggest concern — an injury similar to the one that cost Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy his entire 2024 season. 

McCarthy, now buried on Minnesota’s depth chart behind Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz, has reportedly drawn interest as a trade value given Giants GM Joe Schoen’s familiarity with him from the 2024 draft process. Harbaugh didn’t close the door on Dart returning for a potential postseason run.

Chicago’s quarterback picture remains murky ahead of Monday night’s game against Philadelphia, with Case Keenum, Tyson Bagent and Caleb Williams all in play depending on health. 

Keenum, 38, practiced Wednesday and hasn’t played in a regular-season game since December 2023, but he’s healthy — which is more than can currently be said for the other two. He said he is nervous about possibly starting, but he welcomes the emotions.

“I love the feeling of being nervous. I do get nervous. And it’s not a scared nervous, it’s an excited nervous, because I know I’m prepared. I’m confident in my preparation and what I’ve done. I’m confident in my teammates. I’m confident in their preparation. I’m confident in the game plan and what my coaches have put together.”

Williams is still working back from the hamstring injury that knocked him out of Sunday’s loss to Minnesota, and while he hasn’t been ruled out, caution is expected given how much his mobility factors into his game. 

Bagent, who went 5 of 9 for 54 yards in relief before getting sacked on the final play, was unexpectedly placed in concussion protocol Tuesday with no clear return timeline. 

Coach Ben Johnson said the team has no plans to bring in another quarterback this week, framing the uncertainty as an opportunity for whoever ends up under center.

Tua Tagovailoa is good to go for Atlanta’s trip to Green Bay, and he’ll be doing so as the backup. 

The quarterback was not on the Falcons’ final injury report of the week, and head coach Kevin Stefanski indicated earlier Wednesday that Tagovailoa was trending toward serving behind Michael Penix Jr. for Thursday Night Football.

Tua Tagovailoa was actually slated to start the season opener before an oblique injury suffered during practice week sidelined him (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

Tagovailoa was actually slated to start the season opener before an oblique injury suffered during practice week sidelined him, with Cooper Rush filling in for the first two games while Penix worked back from reconstructive knee surgery. 

Now healthy, Tagovailoa slots in as QB2 behind Penix, who’s set to handle starting duties in Week 3.

Carolina is placing running back Jonathon Brooks on injured reserve after he’s set to undergo surgery Wednesday for a core muscle injury, though he’s expected to return later this season. 

The Panthers said Brooks is looking at a minimum six-week recovery after injuring his groin late in Sunday’s win over Atlanta.

“It was a pretty significant groin injury, and we got multiple opinions about what’s the best course of action,” head coach Dave Canales said. “Jonathon’s gonna have surgery to repair the injury, and the timeline of return with surgical or nonsurgical was gonna be similar.”

It’s the latest setback in an injury-plagued career for Brooks, who has played just five of a possible 36 games since being drafted in 2024 due to two ACL tears — one at Texas and one as a rookie. 

With Brooks used sparingly through two games, Chuba Hubbard remains the clear starter, and Carolina is reportedly bringing in veteran Austin Ekeler to fill out the backfield behind him and A.J. Dillon.

The Jacksonville Jaguars went all in to acquire the reigning Heisman Trophy winner in the 2025 NFL Draft. New general manager James Gladstone sent the Cleveland Browns a package of picks headlined by a future first-rounder for the right to select wide receiver and cornerback Travis Hunter. 

The Jaguars executed this trade with the goal of making Hunter a two-way player. Gladstone even said this playmaker was capable of pushing the boundaries of football. 

“He’s a rare person,” Gladstone said last year. “He’s a rare player. But he’s also a reminder that the boundaries of the game of football we built to be challenged. We want him to be nothing more than him – because when he is, he elevates the space around him – from the football field, to the city, to the game of football itself.

“Travis Hunter is who we’ve been hunting up.”

Through nine career games, the results have been disappointing to say the least. Hunter caught 28 passes for 298 yards and one touchdown, and made 15 tackles with three passes defensed in seven games played as a rookie before an LCL injury knocked him out for the rest of the year. Through two games this season, Hunter’s usage has come under more scrutiny. He’s caught one pass for eight yards, rushed once for three yards, and made five tackles with one pass defensed.

It was believed that Hunter was going to play more cornerback this year — although the Jaguars will never walk back their original plan of him being a two-way player. Hunter has played 58.4% of snaps on defense through two weeks, and just 8.6% of offensive snaps. This has led to more questions, because why is Hunter playing such few snaps? 

There’s plenty to criticize from the Jags’ 20-13 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday. The secondary struggled to contain Jaylen Waddle, and the offense fell flat in the final quarter. As head coach Liam Coen evaluated the first loss of the season, he came to the conclusion that Hunter needs to be more involved on offense. 

“Any time you struggle offensively, specifically, you look at the totality of it all, and Travis is a big part of that obviously that we’re looking at continuing to find different ways to get him involved,” Coen told reporters. “You’re also looking at the other side of the ball… I thought he did a nice job throughout the course of the week, and we’re going to look at giving him some more this week.”

One has to wonder how much of Hunter’s usage, or lack thereof, has to do with him ramping up from time missed last year. After all, Hunter played more snaps in Week 2 than he did in Week 1. 

“It is a balancing act, though, right?” Coen said. “You’re trying to get into a flow, whether it’s on offense or defense. But we have corners that we have a lot of confidence in.”

While no one player or position group decided the loss, Coen can’t help but notice how the offensive production fell off a cliff in the final stanza. 

Fourth quarter

Cam Little missed a 54-yard field goal on Jacksonville’s first possession of the fourth quarter, and the Jags received just one more possession — which ended with a punt when Trevor Lawrence couldn’t connect with Brian Thomas Jr. deep down the field on third-and-11. The Broncos then went 59 yards on 10 plays, and ran out the clock.

It appears Coen views Hunter as the seasoning that can spice up the offense when they need it most. Keep an eye on his usage when the Jags host Drake Maye and the New England Patriots this Sunday.