Over two years ago, Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia birthed one of boxing’s most fierce rivalries, but both now reign as world champions in the welterweight division.

In April 2024, Garcia had been poised to challenge for Haney’s WBC super-lightweight world title, but ‘King Ry’ lost that opportunity when he weighed in three pounds over the 140lb limit.

The bout went ahead and in a shocking turn of events, the presumedly ill-prepared Garcia was dominant, flooring the champion on three occasions on route to a majority-decision victory.

Yet, the drama was not done there, as Garcia later tested positive for Ostarine, with Haney appealing the result of the fight and having it overturned to a no-contest.

Haney has since gone on to capture the WBO welterweight crown, whilst Garcia claimed the WBC world title earlier this year. Speaking on the Ring Champs YouTube channel, former welterweight undisputed champion, Terence Crawford, predicted that Haney would get the better of Garcia, if a unification rematch were to take place.

“Ryan Garcia [is] cool but he ain’t smart enough [to beat elite fighters]. It’s just that he and Devin fought each other so many times [in the amateurs], they just know each other. 

“I think that all of the antics before the fight distracted Devin and caught him off guard, he took Ryan lightly.

“I do [think it would be different if they fought again] because, if you watch the fight, he was just getting hit with the same punch over and over and over.”

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Garcia is set to defend his world title for the first time when he is tasked with Conor Benn on Saturday, September 12, whilst Haney is still waiting to confirm an opponent for his first outing of 2026.

The 2026 trade deadline came and went Monday evening and dozens of trades were made in the days leading up to the deadline. The biggest trade was, of course, the two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers adding two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal. Now that all the deadline activity is in the books, let’s hand out some grades. Come with me, won’t you?

2026 MLB trade deadline winners and losers: Yankees don’t do enough, Giants and Mets enjoy seller’s market

Mike Axisa

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Arizona Diamondbacks: D

Lars Nootbaar is a perfectly adequate get, but that was it? Did they really not want to address the rotation? I suppose the return of Michael Soroka will help, while Merrill Kelly and Brandon Pfaadt have been going well behind All-Star Eduardo Rodriguez of late, but it sure seems like they could’ve used an upgrade. — Matt Snyder

(Sacramento) Athletics: D

Granted that losing Shea Langeliers to a torn meniscus took their best trade candidate off the table (and made Jonah Heim a necessity, rather than a luxury, for the rest of the season), the Athletics virtually did nothing at the deadline. Twelve games under .500, fourth place in the division, and your answer is…nothing? That can’t be a plan. — Matt Snyder

Atlanta Braves: C

There was talk about Tarik Skubal and Taylor Ward and instead, the Braves settled for Tyler Mahle and Lane Thomas. They also brought in Brent Suter for middle relief work. The Braves needed offensive help and rotation depth and yeah, they got it, but not in a way that really moved the needle. It was a fine trade deadline at a time when Atlanta had a chance to do more than fine. — Mike Axisa

Baltimore Orioles: D

To be sure, the Orioles secured a massive prospect haul for Adley Rutschman, and they added nice organizational depth in the Taylor Ward and Tyler Wells deals. The O’s went into deadline day only two games behind the third wild-card spot in the loss column, though. They gave Pete Alonso all that money over the winter just so they could throw in the towel and sell because they were two out with two months to play? The individual trades were good to great. There just seems to be zero urgency to, you know, win in Baltimore. — Mike Axisa

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Boston Red Sox: A

Yes, they paid a handsome price for Adley Rutschman, but he’s a significant upgrade at the game’s most demanding position this year and next. If you’re going to pay top dollar, you pay it for a switch-hitter catcher with good offense and great defensive chops. I also liked getting lefty reliever Erik Miller, even if it meant turning the page on perpetual prospect Marcelo Mayer. The Curtis Mead trade has quickly become an afterthought because he im-mead-iately got hurt, though that was just bad luck. I like that move too. Great work by the Red Sox landing Rutschman and getting the upgrades they did. — Mike Axisa

Chicago Cubs: A

The Cubs needed to address their battered rotation, and they did that. Leading up to the deadline, the North Siders added to their starting pitcher mix Clay Holmes from the Mets, the still-effective and durable Kevin Gausman from the Blue Jays, and Braxton Garrett from the Marlins. The price was steep in the Garrett swap, but overall, the Cubs did what they needed to do and then some. Holmes in particular will be an excellent fit in front of the Cubs’ sterling infield defense. — Dayn Perry

Chicago White Sox: B

The biggest move was adding Luis Castillo to the rotation, although he looks to be potentially in decline these days. The Sox also fortified the bullpen and the bench as they attempt to remain on top in the AL Central. The move that helped them the most in terms of their division title hopes may be one they had nothing to do with: the Tigers dealing away Tarik Skubal. — Dayn Perry

Cincinnati Reds: C-

There’s really not much to go on, and there being not much to go on informs that low grade above. The Reds added, most notably, a low-minors right-hander for Nathaniel Lowe and an additional $250,000 in international bonus pool money in exchange for a relief arm. Those moves are fine in and of themselves, but a team in the Reds’ position needs to be more resolute in what direction they take at the deadline. — Dayn Perry

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Cleveland Guardians: B+

The Guards had a high level of activity by the standards of a team owned by the Dolan family. They added a couple of useful bats with Nathaniel Lowe and Jo Adell. As well, repatriated right-hander Foster Griffin helps solidify the rotation after remaking himself in Japan and proving himself with the Nationals, although the cost in trade was high. — Dayn Perry

Colorado Rockies: B-

The Rockies did some light selling by moving relievers Victor Vodnik and Antonio Senzatela and center fielder Brenton Doyle. Instead of moving Mickey Moniak, they’re extending him, and they never seriously seemed to consider trading All-Star catcher Hunter Goodman. Those latter two maybe could’ve landed some good prospects (Goodman definitely would have) but instead the Rockies decided to provide their fans with a little hope and continuity. That’s not necessarily the worst thing in the world. — Matt Snyder

Detroit Tigers: F

This is the easiest call of all. By trading away back-to-back Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize – their second-best starter this season – the Tigers undertook a teardown despite being within close range of playoff position and having the second-best run differential in the American League. That’s a disservice to their fans and to any notions of competitive integrity. We have plenty of examples of flawed teams that sneaked into the postseason and made a deep run. The Tigers still might do that, given how close they are, but lead decision-maker Scott Harris was derelict in his most basic duties leading up to the deadline. The returns he got in those trades hardly matter. — Dayn Perry

Houston Astros: C

I guess they’re content with the rotation? I like the addition of Daulton Varsho, as he’ll greatly improve that defense and has good power potential, but they were awfully quiet for a team that just surged into first place in a bad division. — Matt Snyder

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Kansas City Royals: C

The Royals made multiple moves, but none of them was of the headline-grabbing variety. They fortified the farm system in deals with the Braves and Dodgers, most notably, but the prospects they received leading up to the deadline may wind up being just depth additions. Given the limited supply of alluring vets in KC, the decision not to trade Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo is a bit puzzling. — Dayn Perry

Los Angeles Angels: C

They traded seven MLB players and made them into nine prospects. It’ll take years to figure out if the moves were a net positive, but we already know that selling teams rarely turn firesales into a litany of great players. And now poor Mike Trout is around for a rebuild. — Matt Snyder

Los Angeles Dodgers: A+

They did other stuff, of course, but the move of the deadline was getting the best pitcher in baseball in Tarik Skubal. In and of itself, in light of the Dodgers rotation injuries, it was a great move to add to the team, but keeping him away from every other contending team is just as important. — Matt Snyder

Miami Marlins: B

They shuffled relievers (Lake Bachar out, Victor Vodnik in), turned the oft-injured Braxton Garrett into two prospects, and did nice work cashing in catcher Liam Hicks. One-and-a-half productive years and then a trade for prospects makes Hicks one of the most successful Rule 5 Draft picks of the last decade. There was room to add a starter, even just for innings. Otherwise, it was a solid if unspectacular deadline for the Fish. — Mike Axisa

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Milwaukee Brewers: B+

Yes, they missed out on Skubal, but Dustin May‘s strong underlying numbers, increased velocity, and expanded repertoire suggest he can be a canny addition down the stretch. The additions of JoJo Romero and Antonio Senzatela also lengthen the bullpen. There was some cost to the trade with the Cardinals, but the Brewers improved their chances of hoisting the trophy with these moves. — Dayn Perry

Minnesota Twins: B

The Twins were active on the buy side, which is notable for a team that just a year ago was so active on the sell side. The biggest thing Minny needed to do in order to improve its playoff odds was to address the bullpen, and the front office did that. A.J. Minter, Jeff Hoffmann, and Tommy Nance are new to the relief corps, and they should help matters. They also added Dean Kremer to the rotation. — Dayn Perry

New York Mets: B

It was not the deadline the Mets wanted. They wanted to buy, not sell, but circumstances forced them to sell, and they really leaned into a seller’s market. They turned Clay Holmes, Freddy Peralta, Luke Weaver, and others into 11 prospects — 11! —  includes a few who now rank among the system’s best. The Mets sold just about everyone they could sell and, by all accounts, did well with the prospect haul. Consider this an A that got knocked down to a B given the circumstances (being so bad and disappointing they had to sell in the first place). — Mike Axisa

New York Yankees: D

The Yankees had three needs going into the deadline: righty-hitting catcher, righty-hitting outfielder, late-inning reliever. They went 1 for 3, only bringing in Heliot Ramos as the righty-hitting outfielder. The Yankees couldn’t upgrade over the inadequate Austin Wells/Ali Sánchez catching tandem, nor could they add bodies to help an overworked bullpen. Luis García Jr., while a good addition who will boost the team’s woeful offense, only exacerbates their overly left-handed problem. Just not a good deadline for the Yankees. The roster was aching for more. — Mike Axisa

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Philadelphia Phillies: C

Luis Arraez adds a sorely needed contact element to an offense with baseball’s seventh-highest strikeout rate. It will cause some positional headaches — Arraez to second, Bryson Stott to third, Alec Bohm to first, and Bryce Harper to right might downgrade the defense at four positions — but the bat is a great add. Brooks Raley will help the bullpen as well. The Phillies didn’t get a new fifth starter, though, nor did they bring in a righty bat to elevate an offense that has gotten baseball’s lowest OPS from right-handed hitters. — Mike Axisa

Pittsburgh Pirates: B+

Mission No. 1 was improving the bullpen, and Ben Cherington definitely did that leading up to the deadline. The Luke Weaver addition is made to order for the Pirates‘ needs in terms of high-leverage options, and there’s now also much-needed depth with the additions of Camilo Doval, Ron Marinaccio, Kirby Yates, and Luke Bachar. Did Pittsburgh need a bat in light of the injury to Ryan O’Hearn? That’s all that’s keeping them an A. — Dayn Perry 

St. Louis Cardinals: B+

Maybe you slightly ding the Cardinals for selling core contributors while within reasonable range of contention, but this was always the plan under first-year lead executive Chaim Bloom. They did exceptionally well with their return in the trade that sent Dustin May and JoJo Romero to the Brewers, and in the deal that sent Lars Nootbaar to Arizona, they got a pair of strikeout arms who could be in St. Louis sooner rather than later.  — Dayn Perry

San Diego Padres: A

Look, A.J. Preller is so over-leveraged here with long-term contracts that aren’t tradeable that he has no other option than to just keep pushing to try and catch lightning in a bottle one of these Octobers. Getting Casey Mize and Robbie Ray for that rotation alongside Michael King and in front of that bullpen was huge. They’ll grab that third wild card and, if the offensive personnel wakes up, they could put a major scare into whichever division winner doesn’t earn a bye. — Matt Snyder

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San Francisco Giants: B

They did some selling and did a great job to grab Marcelo Mayer and his upside from the Red Sox. We’ll find out in a few years if the sell job yielded multiple productive players or not, but Mayer has enough upside to get a positive grade. — Matt Snyder

Seattle Mariners: C

They added Taylor Ward and his on-base chops from this season could be a nice boost for the offense. Or maybe he’ll revert to the power hitter who doesn’t walk quite as much? Regardless, that was a decent move for the Mariners, who didn’t do much else other than shed Luis Castillo. They appear to mostly be counting on in-house improvement and it’s not a terrible bet. It was just an underwhelming deadline for a very disappointing team. — Matt Snyder

Tampa Bay Rays: B

The rumors started with Tarik Skubal and Hunter Goodman and the deadline instead brought Liam Hicks, Tyler Wells, and Freddy Peralta. I can’t help but wonder if Wells will be Tampa’s next reliever-to-starter conversion next year. For now, he’s in the late-inning bullpen mix. The Rays did good work patching holes. Hicks, if he sticks around for a few years and performs like he did with the Marlins, might go down as the best catcher in franchise history. (Seriously, it’s been bleak for the Rays behind the plate.) — Mike Axisa

Texas Rangers: D

The Rangers made a minor trade and … that was it. I’m giving the bad grade for two reasons. First off, they’re only a game and a half out of a playoff spot and were in first place just a few weeks ago. And they didn’t aggressively look to improve the ballclub. That’s the first strike against them. Secondly, both Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi reportedly exercised their no-trade clauses. That means the Rangers tried to sell. When 1 ½ games out of a playoff spot. They won the World Series from a wild card just three years ago. This is shameful. — Matt Snyder

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Toronto Blue Jays: B

The Blue Jays toed the line nicely between buying (Spencer Arrighetti, José Soriano) and selling (Kevin Gausman, Jeff Hoffman, Daulton Varsho). They could have moved out more players, namely Shane Bieber, but Toronto did very good work bringing in major leaguers to help them contend next year, as well as prospects for the future. I can’t go all the way to an A because I don’t love Arrighetti and the Blue Jays did keep a few potential trade chips, but a B is a pretty good grade too. — Mike Axisa

Washington Nationals: A

Luis García Jr., Foster Griffin, and Curtis Mead were all found money. Foster was a low-cost free-agent signing coming back from Japan, Mead was acquired in a very minor trade at the end of spring training, and García was an afterthought. The Nationals’ new front office helped all three players become the best versions of themselves, then they traded them for seven prospects and two major leaguers (Jake Bird and Connelly Early). Also, they didn’t trade CJ Abrams. Keeping him is a good move in this expert’s opinion. Grade A work for the Nationals at the deadline. — Mike Axisa

Pressure on FIFA president Gianni Infantino intensified on Tuesday, with opposition emerging from within world football’s governing body as well as from external critics over his since-abandoned proposal to open the World Cup to private investment.

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, appointed in 2019 by Infantino as FIFA’s chief of global football development, said in a statement on Tuesday that “the decision to withdraw the project was absolutely necessary and beyond question”.

His remarks followed hot on the heels of an extraordinary internal email to FIFA staff, seen by AFP, in which secretary-general Mattias Grafstrom appeared to distance himself from Infantino on the issue.

Previously seen as close to Infantino, Grafstrom describes the fiasco surrounding the plan as “a sad and reproachable series of events”.

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He adds: “Individuals, unstable moments and unfortunate episodes come and go. The institution, its mission and its responsibility towards world football continue.”

FIFA had floated the plan last Tuesday, saying it could raise up to $4.2 billion based on a valuation of $20 billion for a new commercial subsidiary, called the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which it proposed would run events such as the World Cup and Club World Cup.

By Saturday it was dead in the water as Infantino announced the humiliating climbdown after widespread condemnation, as UEFA wielded the nuclear option of boycotting all FIFA competitions, including the World Cup.

Far from calming the waters or shoring up his presidency, Infantino has been swamped with criticism of his style of leadership and a previously smooth path to being re-elected unopposed to a fourth and final term next March in Rabat now looks a very rocky one indeed.

‘Take immediate steps’

That is a problem down the road. For now, he has others to confront.

Even though he had withdrawn the scheme, UEFA issued a letter through their lawyers in the US threatening legal action over what they had scathingly described as a “shabby, backroom, opaque deal”.

Both Grafstrom and Wenger as well as chief operating officer Kevin Lamour, who had slammed the plan on Friday, are mentioned in the letter as being knowledgeable about the FFE and instructed to keep all “relevant materials”.

“Dear Mr Infantino. UEFA hereby gives formal notice that it is actively considering legal action, arbitration, and/or regulatory complaints (together, the ‘Proceedings’) arising out of and in connection with the FFE plan proposed by FIFA and all related matters as further described below,” their lawyer Andrew Levander said in the letter sent last Friday and seen by AFP.

“You and FIFA are required to take immediate steps to identify, locate, and preserve all documents and electronically stored information described in this Notice that are in your or FIFA’s possession, custody, or control.

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“These obligations arise independently of any internal retention policy you or your organization maintain and supersede any routine document destruction or deletion policies that would otherwise apply.”

Several of UEFA’s member associations – Wales, Finland, Sweden and Serbia – have withdrawn their letters of support for Infantino and the English FA is strongly rumoured to be on the verge of also joining them.

The scant comfort for Infantino came from a handful of supporters, including 2030 World Cup co-hosts Morocco, as well as Kuwait, Qatar, where he has a house, and Lebanon, which granted him honorary citizenship in February.

However, it is the damning remarks by both Wenger and Grafstrom – who shadowed Infantino throughout the World Cup – that will twist the knife further.

Their criticism only adds to the impression that Infantino has lost the confidence of even his closest FIFA collaborators.

Read moreInfantino under growing pressure after FIFA scraps World Cup investor proposal

One of the most devastating blows to Infantino’s plan was the resignation on Friday of his special advisor Carlos Cordeiro, who is also close to US President Donald Trump.

Despite what UEFA’s lawyer wrote regarding keeping material pertinent to FFE, Wenger claims to have only learned about it through the media.

“I was not involved in this strategic plan,” the 76-year-old Frenchman said.

Grafstrom, for his part, tried to cheer up the staff by congratulating them on their work while admitting it had been “an extraordinary and challenging week”.

For Infantino, the challenge threatens to grow, and his stated purpose when he ditched the plan, to unite football, seems unlikely to be realised while he remains president.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

The Philippine men’s football team during the match vs Thailand in the 2026 Asean Hyundai Cup at New Clark City Athletics Stadium in Capas, Tarlac. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine men’s football team’s semifinal hopes in the Asean Hyundai Cup suffered a crucial blow after a 1-0 loss to Thailand on Tuesday at New Clark City Athletics Stadium in Capas, Tarlac.

Waris Choolthong scored in the 84th minute to hand the Philippines a stinging home defeat and left the hosts on the brink of elimination in Group B.

READ: PH bounces back in Hyundai Cup with dominant win over Laos

Goalkeeper Patrick Deyto was one of the reasons the match stayed scoreless until Choolthong came through for the visitors.

Coach Carles Cuadrat’s side remained on three points with one win and two defeats after three matches heading into its group-stage finale against Malaysia on Saturday in Kuala Lumpur.

The Philippines sits in fourth place behind Thailand, which stayed on top of the group with nine points, while Myanmar and Malaysia have six points apiece.

READ: Lack of key players helps doom Filipino booters vs Burmese

The defeat also left the Filipinos needing help to reach the semifinals.

They must beat Malaysia convincingly and hope Thailand defeats Myanmar.

Meanwhile, Thailand improved to three wins in as many matches without conceding a goal.

Atlanta Falcons superstar running back Bijan Robinson is used to making history on the field and has now reportedly done it off the field.

The Falcons and Robinson agreed to a three-year, $75 million contract extension on Tuesday, making him the highest-paid running back in NFL history, according to ESPN. The 24-year-old’s contract includes $37 million guaranteed at signing, with $51 million of the overall deal guaranteed.

Robinson had been present at the team’s facility but was “holding in” while waiting for a new contract and not practicing in team drills.

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Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson reacts after the Falcons’ 19-17 victory over the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Jan. 4, 2026, in Atlanta. (Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

The Falcons drafted Robinson with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Texas, and the Tucson, Arizona, native immediately became one of the best running backs in the NFL.

Robinson, who has not missed a game in his three-year career, became the centerpiece of the Falcons’ offense as a rookie. In 17 games, he ran for 976 yards and four touchdowns while catching 58 passes for 487 yards and four touchdowns.

ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!

Bijan Robinson poses on the NFL Honors red carpet before Super Bowl LX at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, Calif., on Feb. 5, 2026. (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

In 2024, his second season, he elevated his game to another level. Robinson ran for 1,456 yards and 14 touchdowns while catching 61 passes for 431 yards and one touchdown.

Last season, Robinson led the league in scrimmage yards as he continued in his role as the engine of the Falcons’ offense. The superstar running back ran for 1,478 yards with seven rushing touchdowns while catching 79 passes for 820 yards and four receiving touchdowns. Robinson made the Pro Bowl in each of the last two seasons.

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Atlanta Falcons RB Bijan Robinson carries the ball vs. the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. (Dale Zanine/Imagn Images)

Robinson is the third offensive weapon the team has extended this offseason. The Falcons signed star wide receiver Drake London to a four-year, $141 million contract extension and tight end Kyle Pitts to a three-year, $54 million contract extension in June.

Robinson will not be the last top running back to get paid, as Detroit Lions star running back Jahmyr Gibbs is also “holding in” for a new contract.

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Thankfully, a Vikings coach thinks that the issue is minor.

DC Brian Flores chatted with the media before yesterday’s practice. A question about James Pierre got asked, leading to the insight about the veteran’s status: “Yeah, it sounds like it’s a short-term thing. He was out at the walk through today. He’ll be part of individuals today. We’ll see if we can get him a couple snaps here and there.”

Vikings Coach Thinks James Pierre Dealing with Minor Injury

Adding Mr. Pierre is all about making the team as a whole better. Perhaps that sounds obvious, but it’s a point worth making. Pierre is a piece of the puzzle for how the secondary can matchup with the opposition.

Last year, the Vikings opted to sign Jeff Okudah to function as the CB3. Doing so made some sense given the former Lions’ draft history — he went very high — and upside as somebody capable of wrestling with the NFL’s huge receivers (Mike Evans, D.K. Metcalf, and so on). Prior to getting hurt, Okudah struggled in that job assigment; he then missed most of the season due to being hurt.

Opting for Pierre in free agency is meant to solve that problem for 2026. Byron Murphy is the slot specialist and Isaiah Rodgers the speed merchant. Pierre is offering a large frame to dance with beefy receivers.

The former Steeler shouldn’t be understood as a magic elixir who will make the other side’s long-and-strong receivers disappear. Rather, he’s somebody who is meant to make life difficult for them. Make ’em earn every yard; that’s the way Coach Flores wants to play defense. Nothing free.

In 2025, James Pierre offered some terrific football to the Pittsburgh Steelers. His fourteen games featured five starts, leading to a total of 376 snaps on defense. His statistics show 30 tackles alongside 1 interception and 11 passes defended.

More promising, perhaps, is that passes into his coverage resulted in just 42.9% being completed. Only 15/35 passes ended up being completed. These catches went for a combined 130 yards, averaging a modest 8.7 yards per catch. A grand total of zero touchdowns got completed into his coverage and passers combined for a passer rating coming in at 41.4.

Minnesota landed Pierre for a bargain contract coming in at $8.5 million across a pair of seasons. Seeing him replicate last year’s brilliance will make that contract look very spiffy.

The assessment on PFF is largely in agreement. The analytics website tossed over a sizzling 86.2 grade, good for 2nd overall among the 112 corners who qualified for the ranking.

Later on in the same presser, Coach Flores indicated that seeing a veteran miss time is an opportunity for the young lads. Guys such as Chuck Demmings can jump into the open snaps. Impressing the Vikings coaches (especially the DC) with these reps can lead to confidence about elevating the depth guys when the starting lineup gets depleted.

Do note, though, that the conclusion of the DC’s answer brings things around to an optimistic outlook for Pierre: “From what I understand, JP is going to be okay.”

James Pierre, 29, stands at 6’2″ and weighs 185 pounds. The Vikings want to give him a hearty workload in the upcoming season, so playing it cautious with his injury at the beginning of camp is the way to go.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.

Devin Haney looked set to take on Keyshawn Davis in a first defence of his WBO welterweight title, but in a drastic turn of events the fight has collapsed. Now, Haney has ruled out another potential opponent.

Haney became a three-division world champion when he outpointed Brian Norman Jr to capture the 147lb crown back in November, but whilst the Californian is yet to fight since, he was recently ordered to defend the belt against mandatory challenger, Keyshawn Davis.

A few days ago, after the end of the 30-day negotiation period, the rights to that bout were won by Top Rank in a live-streamed purse bid. Yet, soon after, Davis opted to withdraw from the contest, seemingly unhappy with the $2.13 million purse that he would receive for his title challenge.

As a result, Davis has dropped from #1 to #7 in the WBO welterweight rankings, with former champion, Norman, being moved into position as the number one contender, creating rumours that a rematch between he and ‘The Dream’ could take place.

However, on X, Haney shot down suggestions that he and Norman could run it back, with potential unification opportunities now seeming the more likely.

“It’s not happening. I tell you that right now.”

Instead, Haney could return to fight in Australia for a third time by accepting a unification against newly-crowned IBF welterweight world champion Liam Paro, with the other two world champions at 147lbs currently scheduled for alternate title defences.

Alternatively, WBA Regular champion Jack Catterall has thrown his name into the ring for a possible shot at the WBO champion, despite being well poised for a full WBA title challenge later this year.

Aggressive batting has become the norm in modern cricket, with high-scoring encounters now a regular feature across formats. Players such as Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Travis Head, and the latest entrant to the list, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, have grabbed headlines for taking the attack to bowlers from the very first ball. Sooryavanshi, who is just 15 years old and has already made his international debut, shot to fame after smashing a century off just 35 balls for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2025.

As Sooryavanshi continues his rapid rise, it is worth noting that this brand of aggressive batting is far from a new phenomenon. In fact, legendary Australian batter Sir Donald Bradman still sits atop the list when it comes to extraordinary scoring feats.

The story dates back to November 2, 1931, when Bradman was playing a domestic match for Blackheath against Lithgow. While he finished the innings with a staggering 256 runs, the biggest highlight was the speed at which he reached his century, achieving the milestone in just three overs.

During that era, an over consisted of eight deliveries instead of the current six. As a result, Bradman brought up his hundred in just 22 balls. He smashed 33 runs in the first over, followed by 40 in the second and 27 in the third. His remarkable innings featured 14 sixes and 29 fours.

Years later, Bradman was asked about that unforgettable knock and what was going through his mind while playing one of the most astonishing innings of his career.

“It’s important, I think, to emphasise that the thing was not planned. It happened purely by accident and everyone was surprised at the outcome, no one more than I. Wendell Bill became one of my staunchest friends, and in later years he said he got more notoriety out of the two singles he scored in those three overs than anything else he ever did in his life,” Bradman had said, as quoted by Sportskeeda.

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