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IBF urged to strip Usyk and put heavyweight title on the line for upcoming fight

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Oleksandr Usyk may be forced to relinquish another world title, potentially allowing two heavyweight veterans to collide for his IBF strap.

The Ukrainian became a three-time, two-division undisputed champion after securing a fifth-round stoppage victory in his rematch with Daniel Dubois last July.

Since then, Usyk has vacated his WBO title, enabling Fabio Wardley to be elevated from ‘interim’ to full world champion, while keeping hold of his WBC, IBF and WBA belts.

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It was then announced last month that the 39-year-old will face Rico Verhoeven, a decorated kickboxer, at Egypt’s Pyramids of Giza on May 23.

Originally, the WBC declared it would not sanction their contest, given that Verhoeven’s only professional boxing contest – a second-round stoppage victory over Janos Finfera, whose then-record was 0-5 – had arrived in 2014.

The sanctioning body, however, has since given Usyk the green light to defend his green and gold strap against the kickboxing star, while the IBF and WBA are yet to confirm their stance on the matter.

As far as Usyk’s IBF title is concerned, though, Wasserman and Misfits Boxing promoter Kalle Sauerland believes it should be contested by Derek Chisora and Deontay Wilder, who are gearing up to lock horns at London’s O2 Arena.

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With Chisora being the organisation’s leading heavyweight contender, Sauerland has told Sky Sports that he will be lobbying for a vacant IBF title clash on April 4.

“Oleksandr Usyk has not had one single mandatory defence of the IBF IBF urged to strip Usyk and put heavyweight title on the line for upcoming fight in his reign as heavyweight champion.

“Given Chisora’s position at the very top of the heavyweight rankings right now, and Wilder’s position as well, and given the high-profile nature of the fight, it would be an amazing addition for them to be able to fight for the belt.

“That’s the politics of boxing. We will be speaking to the IBF to see whether there is something that can resolve the situation and we will be lobbying for such a move.”

While Chisora, indeed, is the highest-ranked heavyweight contender with the sanctioning body, an IBF elimination bout will nonetheless take place between Frank Sanchez and Richard Torrez Jr on March 28.

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The winner of that contest could then have a stronger claim to be ordered as mandatory challenger to Usyk, should the masterful southpaw still be in possession of his red and gold strap.

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Aaron Judge hits first World Baseball Classic homer in Team USA win

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Aaron Judge wasted no time clubbing his first World Baseball Classic homer. 

Judge, the Team USA captain, hit a first-inning two-run home run, while Brice Turang had three hits and four RBI to lead Team USA to a whopping win over Brazil in its World Baseball Classic opener Friday night.

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Cal Raleigh #29, Byron Buxton #25, and Roman Anthony #3 of the United States celebrate after scoring from an RBI double hit by Brice Turang #13 of the United States in the fifth inning against Brazil during the 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool B game between the United States and Brazil at Daikin Park on March 6, 2026, in Houston, Texas. 

Cal Raleigh #29, Byron Buxton #25, and Roman Anthony #3 of the United States celebrate after scoring from an RBI double hit by Brice Turang #13 of the United States in the fifth inning against Brazil during the 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool B game between the United States and Brazil at Daikin Park on March 6, 2026, in Houston, Texas.  (Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images)

There was one out and one on in the first when Judge, the first player to commit to the team last April, connected off Bo Takahashi at Houston’s Daikin Park.

Lucas Ramirez homered twice for Brazil with his father, 12-time All-Star Manny Ramirez, in attendance. He cut the lead to 2-1 with his leadoff homer, and his solo shot in the eighth got Brazil within 8-5.

Aaron Judge

Aaron Judge #99 of the United States celebrates after hitting a two-run home run during the first inning against Brazil during the 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool B game between the United States and Brazil at Daikin Park on March 6, 2026, in Houston, Texas.  (Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images)

At 20 years, 49 days, he became the youngest player in WBC history with a multi-homer game.

Byron Buxton was hit by a pitch in the fifth to push the Americans’ lead to 4-1. Turang cleared the bases with his double to left field two pitches later to make it 7-1.

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Brice Turang

Brice Turang #13 of Team USA hits a three-run double in the fifth inning during the 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool B game presented by Capital One between Team USA and Team Brazil at Daikin Park on Friday, March 6, 2026 in Houston, Texas.  (Rob Tringali/WBCI/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Brazil is in the WBC for just the second time and first since 2013. The team fell to 0-4 all-time in the tournament after losing to Japan, Cuba and China in 2013.

Another highlight for Brazil came when 17-year-old high school senior Joseph Contreras got Judge to ground into a bases-loaded double play to end the second inning. Contreras, the youngest player in the WBC this year, is the son of pitcher José Contreras, who played 11 MLB seasons.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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When does Team USA play in the World Baseball Classic? Here are the dates and times

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Beat the Streets rolls out to more UK locations

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By Kath Hudson    07 Mar 2026

Beat the Streets launches in five more locations this spring

Founded by Dr William Bird, it turns every journey into a game

Offering free participation, it has been proven to engage individuals from the most deprived communities

In 2025, social value was calculated at £321.80 per adult

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Beat the Streets has announced plans to launch in a number of new towns this spring.

Bloxwich launched in February and will be followed by Colchester on 11 March. Hendon and Grangetown; Penzance and St Austell will all launch later this month.  

Beat the Streets turns towns and cities into a giant game with friendly competition to see how far an individual or their team can walk, run or cycle around their community, turning every journey into a game.

First introduced near Reading in 2013, it has now reached two million adults and children in more than 200 places across the world. 

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It was the brainchild of Dr William Bird, who founded Intelligent Health in 2010 to create a world where every community is designed for health, and every individual has the agency and the environment to flourish. 

An analysis of nine programmes in 2024/25 showed that 40 per cent of registered participants came from the 20 per cent most deprived communities. Children from the most deprived areas (IMD 1–2), demonstrated a 7 per cent reduction in the proportion classified as less active and the rate of children achieving more than 60 minutes of daily activity increased by 8.4 percentage points. 

On average, programmes engage 12 per cent of the population and 68 per cent of adult players were women.

The social value was calculated at £321.80 per adult participant and extrapolated to 54,365 adult players this generated an estimated wellbeing value of around £17.5 million.

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The game is free for all players and for partners purchasing the programme for their area, the average cost to engage a participant was £12.73 in 2024/25.

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Free emblems, new cosmetics, and more

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Diablo 4 is collaborating with yet another major franchise in Season 12: Season of Slaughter. This time, the crossover is with Doom: The Dark Ages, bringing the Slayer’s aesthetic to Sanctuary through thematic rewards, premium cosmetics, and free emblems during a limited-time event.

This event will begin on March 11, 2026, at 10 am PT and is set to run until 10 am PT on March 18, 2026.


Everything we know about the Doom: The Dark Ages collaboration

Season 12 of Diablo 4 is also known as the Season of Slaughter (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)Season 12 of Diablo 4 is also known as the Season of Slaughter (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)
Season 12 of Diablo 4 is also known as the Season of Slaughter (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

This crossover introduces the “most expansive earnable Reliquary yet” to Diablo 4 Season 12. During its run, players can battle enemies to earn Dark Ages Currency, a new currency tied to the Doom: The Dark Ages event.

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To earn Dark Ages Currency, players must slay Elite and Champion enemies. The currency can then be spent on Doom: The Dark Ages-themed cosmetics from the event reliquary.

The reliquary contains 10 unique transmogs inspired by the Doom Slayer’s arsenal. Each cosmetic costs 100x Dark Ages Currency. Examples include:

  • Shield Saw cosmetic skin
  • Doom Slayer’s Flail weapon cosmetic

These items give your character a Doom-inspired makeover, perfect for facing Sanctuary’s demons.

Once you have acquired all the rewards, you will be able to claim the bonus Forsaken Gates Town Portal.

Players can get Doom: The Dark Ages-themed cosmetics from the reliquary (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)Players can get Doom: The Dark Ages-themed cosmetics from the reliquary (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)
Players can get Doom: The Dark Ages-themed cosmetics from the reliquary (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

Doom Chests: Boss drops

In addition to the reliquary rewards, players can earn loot by engaging bosses. Lair Bosses in Season 12 have a chance of dropping Doom Chests, which contain Unique items with Doom Crucible-themed transmogs. This provides players with special cosmetic versions of gear and an incentive to challenge high-tier bosses in the Season of Slaughter.

Also read – Diablo 4 Season 12: The strongest builds, based on PTR meta

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Free Doom: The Dark Ages emblems in Diablo 4 Season 12

Players can fight Elite enemies, collect Dark Ages Currency, and purchase these cosmetics (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)Players can fight Elite enemies, collect Dark Ages Currency, and purchase these cosmetics (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)
Players can fight Elite enemies, collect Dark Ages Currency, and purchase these cosmetics (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

Blizzard Entertainment is also giving away multiple free emblems during the event period via the in-game shop. You can claim them on the following dates and timings:

  • March 11, 12 pm PT – Dark Before the Dawn
  • March 13, 12 pm PT – Grandeur of the Gutted
  • March 15, 12 pm PT – Rip and Tear

These emblems are completely free; you only need to log in to the game in order to claim them.

Also read – Diablo 4 Season 12 PTR: Best builds for every class


Paid premium cosmetics

Alongside free rewards, you can also obtain optional paid cosmetics from the in-game shop starting from March 12, 2026, at 12 pm PT. The items include:

  • Doom Slayer Armor (cross-class armor set)
  • Mecha Dragon Serrat cat mount skin
  • Cacodemon pet

Blizzard has not yet confirmed the prices of these cosmetics. However, based on previous crossover cosmetics, they may range between $20 and $30 each.

Also read – D4 Lord of Hatred will bring back iconic crafting item from D2


The Doom: The Dark Ages collaboration will launch with Season 12: Season of Slaughter, which also introduces Bloodied Items, the Killstreak system, and the player ability to temporarily transform into The Butcher, complete with unique skills and gameplay mechanics.

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Players will also be able to check out the new Paladin Class (from the upcoming Lord of Hatred expansion) up to level 25. With free reliquary items, Doom cosmetics, and a Paladin class trial, Season 12 is shaping up to be one of the most exciting seasons yet in Diablo 4.

For more details on Diablo 4 Season 12, visit the game’s official website.

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