Liverpool have confirmed Hugo Ekitike has sustained a serious Achilles injury and will miss this summer’s World Cup with France.
The 23-year-old was injured during the first half of Tuesday night’s 2-0 Champions League quarter-final second-leg defeat by Paris St Germain at Anfield and the full extent of the injury became clear on Wednesday.
France boss Didier Deschamps revealed Ekitike would have to sit out the World Cup and Liverpool have now revealed scans confirm a rupture of the Achilles tendon.
“Liverpool FC can confirm Hugo Ekitike has sustained a serious Achilles injury,” the Premier League club said in a statement on Thursday.
“The forward had to be substituted during the first half of Tuesday’s Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain at Anfield after a slip on the turf.
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“Scans on the issue have subsequently confirmed a rupture of the Achilles tendon.
“Ekitike will therefore be sidelined for the remaining weeks of the club season and unable to participate at this summer’s World Cup with France.
“Further updates will be provided at the appropriate time, with Hugo receiving the full support of everyone at LFC.”
Ekitike, a £69million summer signing from Eintracht Frankfurt, was carried from the field on a stretcher, 31 minutes into Tuesday’s game.
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He has scored 17 goals in all competitions for Liverpool this season and become a firm favourite with Reds’ fans.
Outbound is a peaceful exploration game where you travel various types of biomes in your van and expand it using the resources you find. The van is the highlight of the game since you can craft items, store them, and build an entire living space with several machines on the van itself. Along with all these features, there is a method to check tire pressures and fill them as well.
Here is a short guide on checking tire pressure and filling air in them in Outbound.
Method to check tire pressure and fill them in Outbound
Aim towards your van’s tires to check and fill them (Image via Square Glade Games || Sportskeeda)
The van is basically your travel buddy in Outbound. You are required to take care of it and build on it as you explore the beautiful scenery. Even though you refuel it using fiber or wood logs or upgrade it to be faster, it might slow down after exploring for several days. This can be because of low tire pressures.
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In order to check tire pressures, head to each tire and check how much pressure they have. If the tire pressure is lower than 100%, there will be an option to press ‘E’ and inflate them with more air. Make sure to inflate all four of them.
This might not be the most realistic way to inflate tires, but it is still quite realistic, particularly when the overall realism of the game is taken into consideration.
After inflating them to 100%, you will notice that they will not run out too quickly, specifically if you keep driving. This is because the tire pressures decrease slowly if you keep the van rolling. If you are static at a place and only focus on building your house above it, you might notice that the tire pressures will decrease quickly.
Another factor that determines how quickly tire pressures decrease is the van’s weight. The more you build on your van, the heavier it will be, and it will decrease the van’s tire pressure more quickly.
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Apart from tire pressures, Outbound also has a decent amount of detailed van mechanics like engine temperature, energy use rating, charge rating, etc.
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I Am Dirty may emulate the Group 1 achievements of stablemates Overpass and Green Spaces after her dominant display in The Coast Raceday 2yo Handicap (1200m) at Gosford on Saturday.
While trainer Bjorn Baker rates I Am Dirty’s potential highly, he is undecided on stakes tests for her this season.
“We will have a bit of a think about what we do next with her,” Baker told Sky Thoroughbred Central’s Greg Radley. “Maybe we go one more or possibly put her out.
“I’ve always had a really good opinion of her and it is important to win these Saturday two-year-old races.
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“I’m confident she will go on to better things, it is just a matter of when.
“This has been a great form race, particularly for my stable, and we are lucky to have a very, very nice filly in I Am Dirty.”
Baker recalled his stable’s sprinter Overpass winning that exact two-year-old race at Gosford’s initial standalone fixture in 2021.
Overpass boasts 10 wins in 36 starts, with two Group 1s, two The Quokkas, and earnings exceeding $12.5 million.
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The trainer now prepares Overpass for the Group 1 King Charles III Stakes (1000m) at the famed Royal Ascot in England next month.
Green Spaces, Godolphin’s runner, was unplaced at Gosford last year behind Hidden Achievement before transferring to Baker.
Under Baker this season, Green Spaces has risen to likely the premier staying three-year-old, securing a Group 1 ATC Australian Derby win last month for the trainer.
I Am Dirty’s future feats are uncertain, yet the filly – by star sire I Am Invincible, first foal of Group 3 winner Dirty Thoughts – made a striking debut impression at Gosford.
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Second-up and backed into $2.60 equal favourite, I Am Dirty powered home by two lengths with Rachel King beating Quarterback ($13), Parisest Magic ($71) third after a bold finish.
King noted the $600,000 Magic Millions purchase I Am Dirty improved markedly from her debut behind talented filly Bangkok Hottie at Randwick last month.
“She was a little bit more on the ball today, she jumped ‘clean’ and put herself up on speed,” King said.
“They had a big opinion of her before that first-up run but it didn’t quite come off so hopefully this has repaid them today.
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“She’s pretty tractable and when I got to ‘park’ outside the lead, she relaxed beautifully and won well.”
I Am Dirty’s victory held special meaning for Baker on two fronts.
“I’ve got some very important owners in this filly including none other than (wife) Mrs Andrea Baker,” the trainer said.
“This is her Mother’s Day gift because I haven’t got anything else organised!”
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Visit betting sites to find racing odds for standout juvenile contests like Gosford’s opener.
China will field the most teams with three, while Japan and Korea will have two universities.
The Fighting Maroons will be competing against Japan’s Hakuoh University and Waseda University, Korea’s Korea University and Yonsei University and China’s Peking University, Shangai Jiao Tong University and Tsinghua University.
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Also in the fold are Chinese Taipei’s National Chengchi University, the inaugural champion of the tournament, along with Mongolia’s National University of Mongolia, Hong Kong’s Chinese University of Hong Kong and Australia’s University of Sydney.
The AUBL welcomed the addition of the Filipino and Australian teams this year.
“Having experienced the energy of the inaugural 2025 season, we are delighted to see the competition return with such a strong and diverse lineup,” said Seetow Cheng Fave, Secretary General of the Asian University Sports Federation (AUSF) in a press release.
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“AUBL serves as an important platform for both high-level competition and meaningful sports and cultural exchange.”
The 2026 Preakness Stakes field features a pair of half-siblings in Iron Honor and Taj Mahal. They are both sons of Nyquist, who won the 2016 Kentucky Derby and placed third at The Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown. The Kentucky-bred Iron Honor won the Gotham Stakes but was a disappointing seventh in the Wood Memorial, which was his last start before the Preakness Stakes 2026. Meanwhile, the Florida-bred Taj Mahal has won all three of his starts but has yet to compete in a Graded Stakes race.
A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about and betting on races for years, Demling hit the top three finishers in the 2025 Kentucky Derby in the correct order. He also called 11 of the last 21 Preakness winners, including 2023, when he hit the winner, exacta, trifecta and superfecta. He hit the trifecta in the 2024 Preakness Stakes and nailed Journalism as the 2025 Preakness winner. Anyone who has followed him on horse racing betting sites could be way up.
Now, with the 2026 Preakness Stakes field now set, Demling is sharing his 2026 Preakness Stakes betting picks and 2026 Preakness Stakes predictions over at SportsLine. Go to SportsLine to see them.
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Top 2026 Preakness Stakes predictions
One of Demling’s surprising 2026 Preakness Stakes picks: He is high on Ocelli, even though he is not one of the top-four favorites. Ocelli is still winless in his career and only has one runner-up finish in seven races, but he has undeniable momentum entering the Preakness Stakes 2026.
He was a giant 70-1 longshot at the Kentucky Derby, but surged to third place and was charging hard at the end, posting a speed figure just one point below the top-two horses. In a lighter field at the Preakness, Demling expects Ocelli to be very much in the mix on Saturday.
“He’s still a maiden, but was third in the Wood Memorial and ran third in the Derby,” Demling told SportsLine. “For a split second, I thought he might win the Derby. He will be running in the end.” See which other horses to back at SportsLine.
Canelo Alvarez is set to challenge Christian Mbilli for the WBC super-middleweight world title upon his September return and whilst many fans are anticipating an intriguing fight, 168lb rival Hamzah Sheeraz is expecting a statement stoppage.
A two-time undisputed ruler of the division, Canelo lost all four of his super-middleweight belts to Terence Crawford in an upset defeat back in September, but the 35-year-old is wasting no time trying to reclaim them and is expected to challenge the newly crowned Mbilli next.
As for the WBO strap, Sheeraz takes on Alem Begic at the end of the month in a vacant title showdown, seeking to tee up a unification clash with Mexican superstar, Canelo, for 2027.
Speaking to The Ring, Sheeraz appeared to have no concerns that Canelo would be unsuccessful in handing Mbilli a first defeat, predicting an early knockout win for the pound-for-pound veteran.
“I believe that he knocks Mbilli out within six rounds. Styles make fights at the end of the day.
“No disrespect to Mbilli; great champion, great fighter, but I believe that Canelo knocks him out within six rounds, only because styles make fights.”
I am not going to preview every single Paul Skenes start for the Pirates in this space, but there’s no question that when the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner takes the mound, it draws more attention than a typical MLB game. I find his home start tonight vs. Colorado somewhat amusing, because it appears to be perhaps the starting pitching mismatch of the season to this point, as he is opposed by struggling journeyman Michael Lorenzen.
Rockies-Pirates BetRivers parlay (-112)
Skenes (5-2, 2.36 ERA, 0.71 WHIP) has had some memorable outings already in his two-plus seasons in the majors but comes off arguably his best one, eight shutout innings with only two hits allowed, seven strikeouts and no walks in a 1-0 victory at Arizona. Four strikeouts came on four-seam fastballs, two on changeups and one with his unusual splitter.
Skenes didn’t throw more than 17 pitches in an inning and three times needed nine or fewer. He was the first Pirates pitcher with eight-plus innings and two or fewer baserunners allowed since Doug Drabek in 1991.
“I don’t know what else there is to say,” Bucs manager Don Kelly said. “He was unbelievable. Getting ahead in counts, the elite stuff, being able to put guys away, low pitch count, very efficient. He was unreal.”
Skenes was never particularly close to his first no-hitter. He did retire the first 14 he faced, but Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit a soft dribbler down the third-base line for an infield single and then Nolan Arenado followed with a sharp single to left. That was the final baserunner Skenes allowed.
The 23-year-old whiffed the final three batters he faced in the eighth. He clearly owns Arizona, now at 3-0 with a 0.69 ERA in four career starts against the Diamondbacks, including three straight scoreless starts. He became the first pitcher with three straight scoreless starts of six-plus innings against the Snakes.
Apparently, with him at 97 pitches, there was no real thought about letting him pitch the ninth and try for his first complete game and shutout. Skenes said he wasn’t clear on his pitch count after the eighth. Kelly said they “talked about it briefly.”
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The outing was an out shy of his career longest start on July 23, 2024 vs. St. Louis, and his game score of 85.0 was the best of 2026 and second-best career after an 87.0 on July 11 in his rookie year, in which Skenes threw seven no-hit innings with 11 strikeouts and one walk in a victory.
It was the second time in the past three outings that Skenes, +200 to repeat as NL Cy Young, has been dominant. He took a perfect game into the seventh inning of a 6-0 win over the Brewers on April 24 – although he struggled in the start in between against St. Louis. Skenes has already reached half his win total from 2025 when he got almost no run support — he didn’t get his fifth win until July 21. This year, he’s getting plenty, with six starts of at least six runs of support compared to just one with 0-2, and that obviously was against Arizona.
At home this season, Skenes is 2-1 with a 2.35 ERA and .171 batting average against in four starts spanning 21.1 innings with 26 strikeouts. He’s 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA in two career starts against Colorado. The SportsLine Projection Model projects him for 5.3 innings, 5.9 strikeouts, 4.1 hits allowed and 1.3 earned runs. Skenes is -155 to personally win at DraftKings; I personally don’t trust the Pittsburgh bullpen regarding that prop play.
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The Rockies are terrible, if not quite as historically bad as last season. Per usual, the pitching staff is the main culprit with a 4.84 collective ERA that is second-worst in the majors Over the weekend in Philly, the Rockies allowed 22 total runs and at least six in each game. In fact, they have allowed at least six runs in eight of their past 10.
Colorado signed Lorenzen to a one-year deal worth $8 million in the offseason and has gotten little on that return, as the righty is 2-4 with a 6.92 ERA and 1.90 WHIP. Sure, some of that is pitching at Coors Field, but in four road outings Lorenzen allowed at least four runs in two of them.
He was shelled for seven runs on 11 hits last time out in Denver vs. the Mets. The model has him allowing 3.3 earned in 5.4 innings tonight. Lorenzen is a cool +469 to get a victory (No at -730) and +596 on a head-to-head strikeout matchup vs. Skenes (-1000).
“Michael will be fine. He wanted to come here, to pitch here specifically. He’ll figure it out,” first-year manager Warren Schaeffer said after the Mets outing.
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The model has Pittsburgh winning by 2.1 runs, and it having any team winning by that much is pretty rare. But I much prefer the possibility of a push on -1 than a loss on -1.5 no matter the price. If Skenes is as dominant as I expect, the Pirates shouldn’t hammer Lorenzen THAT bad to worry about the alt total. Check out other expert picks in the SportsLine daily newsletter.
May 11, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo (2) reacts after hitting an RBI double against the Texas Rangers during the first inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
The top three batters in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ lineup — Ketel Marte, Corbin Carroll and Geraldo Perdomo — have not found the form that keyed an offensive surge the last two seasons, although manager Torey Lovullo is trying.
After producing a combined four hits and the game’s only run in the series opener against the Texas Rangers on Monday, the trio will seek an encore on Tuesday in the middle contest of a three-game series at Arlington, Texas.
Marte has hit first and second, Carroll has hit second and third, and Perdomo has hit in all three spots at the top of the order as the Diamondbacks attempt to kick-start an offense that ranks in the bottom third in scoring this season after leading the majors in runs (886) in 2024 and placing sixth (791) last season.
“We need those top three to get moving in the right direction,” Lovullo said.
They took a step in the right direction on Monday, when back-to-back doubles from Carroll and Perdomo in the first inning were all the D-backs needed in a 1-0 victory. Marte went 1-for-4, Carroll 1-for-2 with two walks and Perdomo 2-for-4 with an RBI.
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Lovullo said of eking out a low-scoring win, “It’s not anything we want to keep doing. We want to bang the baseball and score a lot of runs.”
Arizona right-hander Zac Gallen (1-3, 4.70 ERA) is to oppose Rangers left-hander MacKenzie Gore (2-3, 5.18) on Tuesday.
The Diamondbacks rank 27th in on-base percentage and 24rd in OPS.
Carroll is off to the best start of the top-of-the-lineup trio, hitting .261 with five homers and 20 RBIs. Perdomo improved his average to .228, and Marte is batting .213.
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“They are all doing OK, but I think they are better than just doing OK,” Lovullo said.
Texas had only four hits off Michael Soroka and three relievers on Monday after shutting out the Chicago Cubs in the final two games of a weekend series.
“The last two days were good,” Texas manager Skip Schumaker said. “(Monday) not so great. Lot of ground balls to the pull side, which falls into (the D-backs’) game plan. We chased some sliders off the plate that we were trying not to do, obviously.”
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Gallen is 0-2 with a 5.08 ERA in his past six starts and is looking for his first victory since April 1. He threw a season-high 100 pitches in a 4-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday in which he gave up four runs and two homers in six innings. He has struggled on the road this season, going 0-2 with a 7.13 ERA in four starts.
He has had a good success against the Rangers, going 3-1 with a 2.67 ERA in six career starts. He has no decisions and a 5.40 ERA in two starts at Globe Life Field. Jake Burger is 4-for-8 with two homers against Gallen, while slumping Corey Seager is 7-for-24 (.292) vs. Gallen.
After a strong start, Gore is 0-3 with a 6.85 ERA since April 8, when he threw five scoreless innings in a 3-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners.
The last time out, Gore held a 2-1 lead through five innings against the New York Yankees on Thursday before giving up five runs in the sixth and taking a 9-2 loss. His line looked worse than it could have, as a catchable popup that fell for a hit helped fuel the Yankees’ rally.
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“I think after every good or bad outing, you have to be honest,” Gore said. “There’s definitely some things we did better than the last one here. We’re going to move on. It’s frustrating right now.”
Gore is 0-2 with a 4.86 ERA in four games (three starts) against Arizona. Nolan Arenado is 4-for-12 with a homer off him, while Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is 5-for-9.
Jan 1, 2023; Green Bay, WI, USA; A Vikings helmet rests on the turf before the matchup versus the Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports.
The Minnesota Vikings were only sparingly represented on the All-Pro teams following the disappointing 9-8 campaign, which was virtually over by Thanksgiving. Long snapper Andrew DePaola landed another second-team honor, while kicker Will Reichard was recognized as the league’s premier kicker.
Accordingly, he’ll be in line for a massive payday once his rookie contract is set to expire. In fact, though he’s signed for two more seasons, he’ll be eligible for a contract extension next offseason.
In the past, kickers were afterthoughts on the payroll, but they make some serious cash nowadays. The Steelers and the Cowboys recently rewarded two of the NFL’s best with lucrative extensions.
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Nov 23, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey (17) looks on during warm-ups before the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
Brandon Aubrey, who has been a real asset for the Cowboys in recent years, reset the kicker market last month, signing a four-year, $28 million contract. He snatched the NFC Pro Bowl honors from Reichard.
This week, Chris Boswell of the Pittsburgh Steelers matched Aubrey’s salary. He’s one of the very best in his own right.
ESPN wrote about the veteran, “In 2024, he was selected as first-team All-Pro after leading the NFL with 41 made field goals. He was also selected to the Pro Bowl for the second time with the Steelers, whom he has been kicking for since 2015. He has had at least a 90% success rate on field goals in seven of his 11 seasons in Pittsburgh. He also has never missed a postseason field goal attempt, going 19-for-19.”
As one of the most consistent kickers in the game, he should be at or near the top of the salary hierarchy. He is, however, 35 years old and it remains to be seen how much longer he can keep that pace. Aubrey just turned 31. That brings us to Reichard, who has that major advantage over both of those guys, as he turned 25 in January.
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Dec 14, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Minnesota Vikings place kicker Will Reichard (16) kicks a field goal during the second half against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
After years of subpar kicking performances in the Twin Cities, Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah spent a sixth-round pick in 2024 to acquire Alabama’s Reichard, the NCAA all-time leader in points, which was likely his best move.
He quickly established himself as a sure option to end drives, but an injury forced him out for four games in his rookie season. Unfortunately, his momentum disappeared for the remainder of the year. Reichard bounced back in 2025 and was arguably the best Viking throughout the season.
The sophomore drilled 33 of 35 field goal attempts, as well as all 31 extra points. His misses sparked controversy over whether he might have hit the wires or not. Only Eddy Pineiro and Nick Folk finished the season with a higher field-goal percentage (both 96.6%; 28/29). Pineiro missed four extra points, while Folk was perfect from that range, but only attempted 22 such kicks.
Early in the 2025 campaign, head coach Kevin O’Connell said about his elite kicker, “I mean, you guys saw it, to hit it [from] 62 [yards], darn near halfway up the net is something else. And I got so much confidence in Will [Reichard], it’s almost dangerous.”
Dec 25, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings place kicker Will Reichard (16) celebrates after making a field goal against the Detroit Lions in the third quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
In 2025, Reichard set the franchise-best 11 field goals made from over 50 yards. That mark was tied for the best in the league. He also scored the longest field goal in franchise history from 61 and he has made six of the seven longest. He’s been a true game-changer for the Vikings.
If Reichard can once again place himself as one of the league’s top placekickers in the upcoming season, he’ll make a lot of money next year. In a prime position to reset the market, the Vikings should budget for his extension in the neighborhood of $8 million per season.
Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone during a tune-up game against Macau Black Bears. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—Anticipating eligibility requirements, Gilas Pilipinas has prepared a “long list” of players being considered for the men’s basketball campaign in the 2026 Asian Games in Japan this September.
Part of that pool includes Justin Arana and Mike Phillips, national team coach Tim Cone revealed on Sunday.
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“Justin’s [Arana] is on it. Mike Phillips is on it. There are all these kinds of players. We picked about 30 players,” he said after Barangay Ginebra’s win over TNT in the PBA. “There’s like 30 players on the list. So we had to make a long list because we don’t know the rules.”
Phillips has previously suited up for Gilas during the 2023 Southeast Asian Games, where the Philippines captured the gold medal.
Cone clarified, however, that inclusion in the Asian Games pool does not necessarily mean inclusion in the roster for the ongoing Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
“It’s not in terms of the Fiba window. It’s all about the Asian Games and the eligibility list,” he said. “That will have nothing to do with the Fiba window,” he added.
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Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas has dealt with eligibility issues in previous tournaments, with requirements often depending on the rules set by organizers for events such as the Asian Games and SEA Games.
It was a far cry from the performance that ‘The Croc’ had put in six months prior, where Donovan had dominated the majority of the action before being controversially disqualified in the eighth round, but in the second meeting Crocker proved his quality to triumph.
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A mandatory defence against Paro was then ordered, with the Australian’s promoters No Limit Boxing winning the purse bid back in February, and initially announcing that they planned for the fight to take place in April.
A hand injury to Crocker meant that couldn’t happen, and now that he appears to have recovered from that injury, the new date and location for the bout has been revealed, with the pair set to collide at the Pat Rafter Arena in Brisbane, Australia on June 24.
Crocker vs Paro 🔒 A huge world title fight is officially set for Brisbane!
He now attempts to become a two-weight world champion when he faces Crocker, but the Belfast man will be keen to make his first defence and then look towards potential unification clashes in the 147lb division.
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