Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing will crown its inaugural champion next month.
The newest boxing promotion on the block has promised big things for the sport, looking to break the mould set by the four major sanctioning bodies, the WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF.
While White may have recently dialled back on a previous promise not to work with those organisations, he continues to push ahead with the introduction of a Zuffa championship, and the cruiserweight division will host the first title fight.
With signings still taking place, how Opetaia, or indeed Glanton, defend their belt following this clash remains to be seen. What will be interesting for fans, however, is how the IBF plays a part.
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With Opetaia still keen on facing either WBC champion Noel Mikaelian or WBA and WBO titleholder Gilberto Ramirez, the IBF must approve this defence – or unification of sorts – for him to keep his title. Glanton is currently ranked at number 15 with the sanctioning body. The fight tops a card at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas on March 8.
Under-fire Thomas Frank is convinced he will still be Tottenham manager for next week’s visit of Arsenal despite the club’s relegation fears increasing after a 2-1 home loss to Newcastle.
Spurs were set to be only three points above the bottom three until Manchester United produced a last-gasp equaliser at 18th-placed West Ham.
However, Jacob Ramsey’s 68th-minute winner for Newcastle consigned Frank’s injury-hit team to a fifth defeat in nine matches and they have won only two of their last 17 Premier League fixtures.
Fans once again turned on Frank during this latest home loss with chants for old manager Mauricio Pochettino and more calls for the current Tottenham head coach to be “sacked in the morning” in another toxic atmosphere in N17.
Even though Frank’s tenure slipped into crisis mode once more on Tuesday night, he claimed to still hold the support of the club’s ownership and revealed he had spoken with them on Monday.
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“Yeah, I’m convinced I will be,” Frank responded when asked if he expected to be in charge when Arsenal make the trip to Tottenham on February 22.
“I understand the question and I understand it’s easy to point on me but I also think it’s never only the head coach or the ownership or the directors or the players or the staff.
“It’s everyone. If you do something right, you build something that can last. Of course we are not in a top position now.
“Everyone knows, directors, ownership, myself, what position we are in, what we need to improve and what we need to do better. That is what we are working very hard on.”
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Pressed on if he had any doubts about being the right man for Tottenham after they slipped to only five points above the relegation zone, Frank appeared to aim thinly-veiled digs at some of his predecessors.
Frank added: “(I’m) 1,000 per cent sure. I am also 1,000 per cent sure that I never expected us to be in a situation like this with 11 or 12 injuries on the back end of this and what we’ve been facing.
“I know when you need to build something and need to get through things, you need to show unbelievable strong resilience.
“I think it is fair to say there are a few before me up here, not only for Tottenham but in many other clubs, that have lost their head many times and I think you need to have a calm head.
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“Carry on, keep fighting and keep doing the right thing, make sure we stick together because we can only do this if we stick together. That is the board, that is the leaders, that is the players, that is the staff, that is me and that is the fans. We’ve got to get through this.”
It was a painful evening for Tottenham and Frank, but a night to savour for Howe after a difficult run of form.
Malick Thiaw’s stoppage-time goal ensured Newcastle held a deserved half-time lead and even though Archie Gray levelled for Spurs in the 64th minute, Ramsey swept home four minutes later to restore the Magpies’ advantage and earn only a third away league win this season.
Howe had sympathy for opposite number Frank and said: “Momentum is very tough to get and it’s easy to lose. I think in my experience, the times I have really struggled to get results has been down to injuries and that is probably the main reason.
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“That is exactly why Tottenham are where they are currently. I have sympathy for Thomas and his staff because if you look at the list of players, they probably have a very strong Premier League team that they are missing.
“So, I think you need your players to really fight for you as I feel my players did for me.”
The late goals are not the only habit that Hearts are forming. Winning the hard way, getting maximum points from a bare minimum performance, is something that title-winning teams do too.
“If you want to challenge for titles and win leagues, you have to win ugly, and Hearts did that tonight,” former Celtic defender Charlie Mulgrew told Premier Sports.
He was not the only pundit to comment on Hearts’ below-par performance. While McInnes named an attacking side, they looked timid in the build up, struggling to stay calm in the typical chaos of an Edinburgh derby.
“They’ll not really care about the performance, they’ve got 12 games to create history,” former Hearts midfielder Ryan Stevenson, who also had a hard job picking a man of the match, told BBC Sportsound.
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“Harry Milne, for me, he tried everything he possible could to affect the game, to drive Hearts forward. Other than him, pretty much all of them were stinking.”
Well, quite. Scott Allan, the former Hibs and Celtic midfielder, was a bit more eloquent in his assessment.
“Tonight was such a big game and to not play well at all… I couldn’t see Hearts scoring a goal, I thought there was only going to be one winner and it was Hibs,” he reflected.
“To win like that, clean sheet as well, it says so much about what you’re building in there.
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“Derek McInnes will not be worried about that performance. What a position that puts Hearts into, going into that game on Sunday.”
Ah yes, the game on Sunday. Rangers at Ibrox. Hearts won there back in September, their first victory away to the blue half of Glasgow since 2014.
No-one could have imagined then that, the next time Hearts came to town, the visitors would still have a lead over their hosts in the standings.
“If they get three points at Ibrox, I think they’ll win the league,” Stevenson predicted. A big call for a big game.
Nigeria may have a Junior Grand Slam Player this Year
A Nigerian teenager could play at a tennis Grand Slam this year. His name is Seun Ogunsakin.
Ogunsakin is currently ranked 74 in the world junior rankings, which puts him close to automatic entry into major junior tournaments. He narrowly missed out on playing at the Australian Open Juniors earlier this year, but his ranking now places him in line for the French Open Juniors and Wimbledon Juniors main draws.
Playing at a junior Grand Slam is a big step for any young player. It gives players exposure to top level competition and is often the pathway to professional tennis.
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Ogunsakin has been competing steadily on the ITF junior circuit, picking up points that have helped push his ranking upward.
If he maintains his position, he is expected to gain direct entry into at least one Grand Slam junior event later this year.
Should that happen, Ogunsakin would become one of the few Nigerian players in recent years to feature on tennis’ biggest junior stage.
The individual behind Washington Wizards’ mascot, G-Wiz, has reportedly retained Waukeen McCoy as his legal counsel against LA Lakers big man Jaxson Hayes. McCoy, a San Francisco-based attorney, previously represented Hayes’ former girlfriend in a domestic violence lawsuit.
During pregame introductions before the Lakers’ game against the Wizards on Jan. 30, Hayes shoved G-Wiz. As a result, the NBA suspended Hayes for one game.
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According to TMZ on Tuesday, McCoy confirmed he will represent the person behind the mascot, who is expected to press charges.
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“We will give them the opportunity to resolve the matter before taking legal action,” McCoy told TMZ. “But legal action is anticipated.”
McCoy is familiar with the Lakers big man, as he helped obtain a settlement for Hayes’ former girlfriend, Sofia Jamora, in a lawsuit against him in June.
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Hayes was arrested in 2021 after authorities received a domestic violence call from his then-girlfriend, Jamora. Hayes also reportedly got into a physical altercation with the police who responded. He received three years of probation, community service and domestic violence classes.
In 2024, after TMZ released a video of the 2021 incident, the NBA said that it would reopen its investigation into Hayes. However, the league has not handed down any punishment for that incident.
What did Jaxson Hayes say about shoving the Wizards’ mascot?
LA Lakers big man Jaxson Hayes served his one-game suspension against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday. He returned to the team in Saturday’s 105-99 win over the Golden State Warriors.
In his postgame media availability, Hayes was asked about the shoving incident with the Washington Wizards’ mascot.
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“Obviously apologized to the team, to the mascot,” Hayes said on Saturday. “I mean, we’re all trying to get ourselves in the mental space and the physical space to get ready to go out and play a game, and when somehow I’m stretching, and somebody steps on my foot, I might have lost it.
“Should have handled it a different way, and we live, and we learn, and so just going to keep doing that again.”
After being shoved by Jaxson Hayes, the mascot fell toward several Wizards dancers who were entering the court. The mascot’s lawyer, Waukeen McCoy, told TMZ on Tuesday that the individual behind the mascot was injured.
Division leaders clash when the Pacific-leading Los Angeles Lakers battle the Southwest Division-leading San Antonio Spurs in a key NBA Western Conference matchup on Tuesday. San Antonio is coming off a 138-125 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday, while Los Angeles dropped a 119-110 decision to Oklahoma City on Monday. The Spurs (36-16), who have won four in a row, are 16-10 on the road this season. The Lakers (32-20), who had a three-game winning streak stopped, are 14-9 on their home court. Luka Doncic (hamstring), LeBron James (foot) and Austin Reaves (calf) are all out for Los Angeles. Deandre Ayton (knee) is questionable.
Tipoff from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles is set for 10:30 p.m. ET. San Antonio is a 13.5-point favorite in the latest Spurs vs. Lakers odds from DraftKings Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 224.5. Before making any Lakers vs. Spurs picks, check out the NBA predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past eight-plus seasons. The model enters Week 16 of the 2025-26 NBA season on a sizzling 38-16 roll on top-rated NBA spread picks dating back to last season. Anyone following its NBA betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.
After 10,000 simulations of Spurs vs. Lakers, SportsLine’s model is going Over on the total (224.5). The Under hit in its last head-to-head meeting. The Under has also hit in seven of the last 10 San Antonio games, and in six of the last 10 Los Angeles games.
The SportsLine model is projecting San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama to score 21.9 points on average and be one of six Spurs players to score 10.8 or more points as the model projects that the teams will combine to score 232 points.
The Mountain West added North Dakota State as a football-only member beginning in 2026, getting paid $12 million to do so.
Could they seek more realignment moves?
On today’s episode of Locked On College Football, I discuss how winning impacts realignment moves for schools like Sacramento State.
Will the Hornets find a home in an FBS Conference?
Also, I owe an apology to Kennesaw State.
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Michigan’s Big 10 schedule is among the most difficult of any league slate in the country for 2026.
Can Kyle Whittingham overcome that to put the Wolverines in the Playoff?
03:21 Mountain West Expansion Speculation 07:21 Group of Six Playoff Potential 12:33 Bison’s FCS-to-FBS Transition 17:53 Winning’s Role in Conference Growth 28:26 College Football Playoff Debate
Villanova and Notre Dame are in the final stages of solidifying a monumental scheduling sacrament to begin the 2026-27 college basketball season.
The Wildcats and Fighting Irish’s men’s and women’s basketball teams have been given special clearance by the NCAA to open next season in Rome for a doubleheader on Sunday, Nov. 1, sources told CBS Sports. College basketball’s official start to the season is Monday, Nov. 2, but the NCAA quietly approved a waiver in January to allow the teams a one-day head start, given the historic precedent of the games.
The motivation for the overseas twinbill happens to be one of the most famous people on the planet: Pope Leo XIV.
The two universities are prominent private Catholic schools with connections to the Pope. For Villanova, an obvious one: Robert Francis Prevost is a 1977 alumnus. The Notre Dame piece is tied to the school’s massive global brand. Notre Dame is regarded as the most prominent Catholic institution of higher learning in the world. It also has an outpost in Rome. An avowed sports fan, the Pope also grew up in Chicago, which has a significant Notre Dame fan presence given its proximity to nearby South Bend, Indiana. (Soon after Prevost was named the most powerful man in the Catholic Church, online detectives went back and found he appeared on television during the White Sox’s 2005 World Series run.)
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Notre Dame’s women’s program is a powerhouse with two national titles and nine Final Fours. Since 2020, Niele Ivey has been the coach. Villanova owns three national titles in men’s basketball and has made the Final Four seven times, most recently in 2022 under Jay Wright. It’s now coached by Kevin Willard.
Villanova and Notre Dame worked in concert on arranging the game for months, sources said, with talks seriously materializing in the early fall. Paperwork has not been finalized, but both schools are moving forward with the expectation that one of college basketball’s most ambitious scheduling ideas in recent memory will transpire on the first day of November.
Fox is on board to broadcast both games, per sources, with the doubleheader scheduled to play out in the afternoon in Rome. That means breakfast-time basketball in the United States. While final details are still being worked through, the general plan is to have Villanova-Notre Dame lead into NFL coverage on Fox in the United States on that Sunday. The women’s game is planned to air afterward on Fox Sports 1.
Starting a season in a foreign country isn’t unprecedented: Women’s college basketball opened this past season in Paris with Duke playing Baylor. On the men’s side, Villanova and Notre Dame is believed to be the first season-opener on foreign soil and the first regular season Division I basketball competition in Italy.
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The teams will play the doubleheader at the Palazzetto dello Sport, known more colloquially as the PalaTiziano. The arena seats 3,500 people for basketball games and has existed since the late 1950s. It was built in the lead-up to Rome’s hosting of the 1960 Olympics. The PalaTiziano underwent significant renovations from 2018-2023 and is approximately 30 minutes from the Pope’s residence in Vatican City.
The Pope’s involvement in the event — if any — is unclear and very much to be determined, according to sources, though officials from both schools have been in contact with the Pope and people around the Holy See. Notre Dame’s president and others had a private meeting with the Supreme Pontiff in November, while Villanova had officials fly to the Vatican last May to see Pope Leo’s inaugural mass. Villanova’s president, Rev. Peter M. Donohue, was not in the same class as Prevost in the 1970s, but the two did overlap as undergrads at VU.
The schools intend to make the trip not just about basketball, but a huge educational experience as well. Rome, which surrounds Vatican City, is a destination for millions of devout Catholics and tourists every year.
And come November, should all go to plan, it will play host to a global American sporting event.
United States figure skater Maxim Naumov delivered an emotional performance in his Olympic debut on Tuesday, honoring his late parents who died in a tragic plane crash last year.
There wasn’t a dry pair of eyes at the Milano Ice Skating Arena on Tuesday night, as Naumov fulfilled a dream he had alongside his parents, former pairs world champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who were among the 67 people killed when a military helicopter collided midair into American Airlines Flight 5342 in Washington D.C. in January 2025.
Naumov, 24, was expected to be a long shot to even crack the top 10 at this year’s Olympics, let alone medal. But he delivered quite the show that resulted in a full standing ovation, as he looked up at the sky and said, “Look at what we’ve done,” per ESPN.
Maxim Naumov of Team United States reacts after competing in the men’s singles skating short program on day four of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 10, 2026.(Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
“I didn’t know if I was going to cry, smile or laugh,” Naumov said after his short program resulted in a score of 85.65 — good for 12th and having him qualify for the next round.
Naumov skated to “Nocturne No. 20,” and he couldn’t have been happier with his performance, knowing his parents were with him in spirit.
“I’ve been inspired by them since day 1, ever since we stepped on the ice together,” Naumov, who was holding an old photo of himself and his parents on the ice together in the kiss-and-cry zone after dedicating his performance to them.
Naumov’s parents were among a contingent of U.S. figure skaters, coaches and family members who tragically passed away from the crash after leaving a developmental camp in Wichita, Kansas after the 2025 national championships. Naumov was on an earlier flight.
Maxim Naumov of Team United States competes in the men’s singles skating short program on day four of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 10, 2026.(Elsa/Getty Images)
Three days before being named to the U.S. Olympic team, Naumov was emotional after skating in their honor at the U.S. Championships, where he held up the same picture of himself as a 3-year-old boy with his parents on either side of him.
“Sharing the vulnerability with the audience and me feeling their energy back has been something I remember for the rest of my life,” Naumov said to reporters after his skate that solidified his spot on the U.S. team. “It’s what my parents and I — one of our last conversations was about exactly that, and you know, it would mean the world to me to do that. That’s what we’re fighting for.”
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As he took the ice, Naumov said that being too technical about his performance wasn’t the thought process.
His effort level was all that mattered — no matter the result.
USA’s Maxim Naumov holds a picture of his parents, who died in a plane crash last year, after competing in the figure skating men’s singles short program during the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympic Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan on Feb. 10, 2026. Naumov’s parents Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova died after a midair collision of an American Airlines plane and a US Army helicopter in Washington DC on Jan. 29, 2025.(WANG Zhao / AFP)
“I wasn’t thinking about executing anything perfectly or anything like that. I wanted to go out there and just give my heart out. Leave everything out there. Have no regrets. And that’s exactly what I felt,” he said, per ESPN.
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Naumov will perform again during the men’s free skate on Friday night.
Sam Darnold’s NFL journey has been nothing short of inspiring.
The quarterback finally got to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy with his Seattle Seahawks, his fifth NFL team, Sunday in Santa Clara.
Darnold was the third overall pick out of USC in 2018 to the New York Jets, where he was hoping to take the team out of playoff purgatory and cement himself as one of the greats for “Gang Green.”
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Instead, Darnold found himself out of New York after three seasons, traded to the Carolina Panthers and beginning his move from the East Coast to West Coast.
Sam Darnold of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after winning the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium Feb. 8, 2026, in Santa Clara, Calif.(Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
After battling with Baker Mayfield in Carolina, Darnold eventually landed as Brock Purdy’s backup with the San Francisco 49ers. Then he got another shot at starting in the league with the Minnesota Vikings, leading them to a 14-3 record.
The success Darnold found led to choices in free agency, every player’s dream. He went with the Seahawks, reuniting with offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, and the rest is now history.
So, as Darnold sat at a Raising Cane’s to celebrate with a “shift” in front of Seahawks fans after the 29-13 victory, Fox News Digital asked him what lesson might be learned from his journey through the league.
“I really think it’s about believing in yourself and taking it one day at a time,” he said over the phone. “I think, if there’s any lesson, it’s that. Continue to be yourself in any situation and always believe in yourself.”
Darnold’s belief led him to this point. And he got a taste of what Wednesday will be like at the parade in Seattle when Seahawks fans flocked to Raising Cane’s to see their Super Bowl-winning quarterback.
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“It’s unbelievable, man,” he said. “I mean, the warm welcome I got with fans was just pretty special. To be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it. It’s just unlike anything I’ve seen.
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold throws a pass during the first half of the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., Feb. 8, 2026.(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
“They’ve shown up for us all season, all the way to the end. So, I’m very thankful to be playing here in Seattle with these fans.”
Fox News Digital spoke with Darnold in March 2025 when he made the decision to join the Seahawks after they had just traded Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders, making the starting quarterback spot open. He said he loved the mutual interest and believed in head coach Mike Macdonald and the group of guys already in the building.
Darnold was simply hoping to fit in and help lead the team to the promised land. Mission accomplished.
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“Clearly, I made the right decision,” he said almost one year later. “It’s been a very special ride with this group, with my teammates and the coaching staff that we had this year.
Sam Darnold of the Seattle Seahawks walks on the field after the NFC championship against the Los Angeles Rams Jan. 25, 2026, in Seattle. The Seattle Seahawks won 31-27.(Getty Images)
“It’s funny, I feel like after the Super Bowl even, we all wanted to play another game. Maybe not physically, but mentally, emotionally, we’re still in it, and we just love playing ball with each other. That’s all you can ask for when you sign up to play this great game.”
Michigan’s Big 10 schedule is among the most difficult of any league slate in the country for 2026. 
