Former four-division world champion Mikey Garcia, who lost to Errol Spence Jr in 2019, has offered his thoughts on the American’s expected comeback fight against Tim Tszyu.

It was reported last week that, following a three-year layoff, Spence is set to return against former world champion Tszyu this summer.

The 35-year-old has not fought since his ninth-round stoppage defeat to Terence Crawford, who seized his WBC, IBF and WBA welterweight titles in dominant fashion.

Prior to that, many considered Spence to be the top dog at 147lbs, capable of becoming a two-division world champion at super-welterweight.

And while a lengthy hiatus has now diluted such comments, at least to a certain extent, ‘The Truth’ is nonetheless looking to reignite his career later this year.

Standing in his way of future multi-division glory, it seems, is sturdy contender Tszyu, whose performances have not quite looked the same since his split decision defeat to Sebastian Fundora in 2024.

After that particular night, where he showed tremendous grit to fight through a horrific gash on his forehead, the Australian found himself on the receiving end of a far more punishing third-round stoppage against Bakhram Murtazaliev.

Having since claimed two victories back home, while also losing his rematch with Fundora via a seventh-round finish, many are questioning what Tszyu has left to offer at world level.

But while the same, of course, could be said for Spence, former pound-for-pound star Garcia has effectively told ESNEWS that the Texan should enter their potential showdown as a clear favourite.

“That’s a good fight for Errol if it’s his comeback [fight]. Tim Tszyu is, I don’t think, a huge, huge threat.

“But it’s been a long time since Spence Jr [last fought], so I think it’s a good fight.”

Spence defeated Garcia, the naturally smaller man, with a wide unanimous decision at 147lbs, before defending his titles against the likes of Shawn Porter and Danny Garcia.

Consider the sandbagger. You’re familiar with the term and the type. Did you know, though, that neither got its start in golf?

In mid-19th-century England, “sandbagging” was punishable by imprisonment. But it didn’t describe an on-course crime. It referred to the work of common thugs who would knock their victims cold with sandbags and make off with their valuables.

That was a far cry from the word’s original meaning. In the early 1800s, to sandbag was to shore up or stabilize, often as a defense against flooding. But language, like trouble, has a way of spreading.

By the Roaring Twenties, sandbagging had taken metaphorical shape: bullying, coercion, intimidation. Its literal applications expanded, too. In poker, sandbagging became a kind of reverse bluff: playing possum with pocket aces to lure others into the pot.

How and when the term wandered onto the golf course is murkier. But by the 1940s, “sandbagging” had become shorthand in sports for a competitor who downplayed his advantage or deliberately underperformed.

Which brings us, inevitably, to that guy at your club.

By the early 1960s, characters like him were commonplace enough to inspire widespread complaint. The golf press addressed them with pious indignation. In one article from the Pensacola News Journal, the sandbagger was depicted as “an odious character indeed, for he perverts that purpose of the game.” No murkiness there. The sandbagger wasn’t merely gaming the system; he was committing a sin against golf itself.

The tone in those old references is steeped in moral outrage, as though sandbagging belonged alongside slow play, foot wedges and loud trousers as evidence of civilization’s decline. But it’s also telling. That the term was showing up so regularly in golf coverage suggested that it had already been circulating in locker rooms and betting games for some time.

In fact, evidence points to sandbagging gaining real traction in the 1950s, alongside the growing popularity of Calcuttas — handicapped matches with a gambling twist, their name borrowed from the Indian city where British colonists once wagered on horses. The format was tailor-made for the modern sandbagger: keep your handicap comfortably inflated, wait for the right moment, then “discover” your swing when money is on the line.

Today, the word has softened around the edges. “Sandbagger” can still be a harsh accusation, hissed in a stage whisper as the winner of a net event walks up to collect his prize. But it can also be tossed around as friendly ribbing, even a sideways compliment. It’s a golfer’s way of saying: Nice round. Now tell us what you really play to.

The USGA seems allergic to the term. You’d be hard-pressed to find “sandbagging” anywhere in its Rules of Golf or other official writing. Even hard and soft caps — measures that help safeguard against sandbagging — are presented instead in the diplomatic language of fairness, as tools to ensure a Handicap Index accurately reflects a player’s ability.

India will meet South Africa in their Super Eights clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on February 22 (Image credit: Agencies)

When India face South Africa in their Super Eights clash of the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on February 22, few supporters will feel more divided than Mariana Morkel.From her home in Pretoria, Mariana will find herself torn. Her elder son, Albie Morkel, represented South Africa in one Test, 58 ODIs and 50 T20Is and is now serving as a consultant coach with the Proteas in the ongoing tournament. Her younger son, Morne Morkel, who played 86 Tests, 117 ODIs and 44 T20Is for South Africa, is India’s bowling coach.

Speaking ahead of South Africa’s Group D match against the UAE at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Albie was asked if he had exchanged notes with Morne. “No, we don’t talk to each other. I think my mother, she’s more worried than us. She doesn’t know who to support, India or South Africa.”With the Proteas already through to the Super Eights, Albie stressed that the bigger challenge lies ahead.“I think the World Cup really starts now, even though we had a tough group. Now you face India, possibly Australia or Zimbabwe and the West Indies in our group. So it’s really tough. It’s going to be all good games. Yes, there will be more pressure on those games because as you move later towards the playoffs.“But I feel we’ve got a very experienced group of bowlers and batting is better so guys that have been exposed to that whether it’s an IPL or other leagues or in international cricket is a little bit different. But guys that can handle that pressure – they actually will thrive in those circumstances where there’s a bit more pressure on the games – so not too worried,” he added.Cautious about raising expectations after a runners-up finish in 2024, he said, “I don’t like to make statements about it. I think we were in a very tough group. That game against Afghanistan still gives me nightmares and it could have gone anyway.“So now I guess the first box is ticked – getting through to the next stage. To me, the World Cup starts now. Every game will be a tough game, and luckily we’ll be in Ahmedabad again where we sort of are used to the conditions now – so, let’s see.”Brought into the South African setup specifically for this tournament, Albie previously worked as Namibia’s assistant coach and as Bangladesh’s power-hitting coach. Reflecting on his current role, he said, “It’s been an interesting term, a specialist consultant. I had to figure it out myself a little bit. But I guess it’s anything it takes to help the team do well in the World Cup. So do a bit of both, batting, and fielding, mostly focus around the bowling for now and do some work with the lower order batters, around their swing and stuff like that.”Now viewing the game from the sidelines, he also spoke about shaping his coaching philosophy, influenced heavily by Stephen Fleming during his stint with Chennai Super Kings.“Initially when I started my coaching career, you still coach as a player. If you want to make a difference, but you can’t be on the field and you have to accept that fact and work out ways because players are under pressure anyway. If you as a coach want to make a difference in their games all the time, that doesn’t help anyway.“So it’s sort of finding that middle ground where you try to help, but you’re also not, as a coach, put pressure on players as they know what they’re doing. If it’s real technical things, then you can work at it, but not during tournament.“My philosophy is once you hit a World Cup like this and you start to tinker with technical stuff, that’s when you confuse players or players can get confused. So it’s more like how can I actually take pressure off guys, make them believe in themselves, and stuff like that? Stephen has been a big influence on that.“He’s one of the only coaches, or maybe the only coach in the world who’s been at a franchise for 17 years. That’s unheard of and it must mean he does something right. I’ll certainly learn a lot from him, yes,” he concluded.

After meeting as students in Belfast, Michaela and John married in on 30 December 2010.

However, tragedy would strike just 12 days later when she visited the couple’s room in a luxury resort in Mauritius on her own after lunch, and she was discovered by John who raised the alarm.

In the aftermath, John, now 41, said there was shock, but there was also “anger” at how the authorities dealt with her death, and the lack of convictions that followed.

“I’ve never asked the question of, ‘why did this happen to me?’, I’ve always just felt so sorry for Michaela,” he said.

“It’s only now that I’m able to talk about it quite logically. There’s still a hell of a lot of pain associated with it, but I accept that it’s always going to be the case.

“I know how intense it is to live with that pain, so I’ve been able to find a way to manage it.”

McAreavey, who featured for Down’s senior football panel and won an All-Ireland Intermediate title with his club Tullylish in 2010, admits that “moving on is a term that has never been comfortable for me”.

“I’ve said before about moving forward, and that just changes the reference around it.

“You’ll never move on from something like that, you can’t just let that be. You have to find a way to move forward.

“I’m still heavily involved for trying to find justice for Michaela so it’s still a very active part of my life.”

Without wishing to get too ahead of himself, Ryan Garcia has named one matchup he would be ‘really interested’ in pursuing after his next fight.

The 27-year-old must first take care of business against Mario Barrios – which is no foregone conclusion – this Saturday, when the two welterweights collide at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.

Entering their showdown as the defending WBC world champion, Barrios comes off back-to-back draws – against Abel Ramos and Manny Pacquiao – while having previously lost to Gervonta Davis and Keith Thurman.

His reign as a champion at 147lbs has therefore been somewhat underwhelming, with many even believing that Pacquiao, aged 46, deserved to edge their encounter in July.

But while he is yet to cement himself as the best in his division, who most would consider to be Devin Haney, Barrios is nonetheless an all-action volume puncher who typically fights at a ferocious pace.

Garcia, meanwhile, is also a man with a point to prove, especially after suffering a points defeat to Rolando Romero in May.

At the same time, though, the American appears eager to mix it with the very best in his sport, naming pound-for-pound star Shakur Stevenson as a potential opponent after his clash with Barrios.

Garcia expressed this desire during an interview with Nightcap, while also acknowledging that it would take a career-best performance to defeat Stevenson.

“I’m really interested in the Shakur fight – it gets me going – and those are the type of fights that [will bring] the best out of me.

“Definitely, he’s somebody I wanna look into after this fight [with Barrios].”

Stevenson became a four-division world champion after dethroning Teofimo Lopez last month and, since then, has insisted that any fighter wishing to face him at 147lbs would need to accept a rehydration clause. Garcia, however, claims he can make a catchweight of 144lbs, something that may have to be seen to be believed.