Next month, Fabio Wardley defends his WBO heavyweight title in an all-British battle against Daniel Dubois, and there is another countryman waiting in the wings, hoping to secure a title shot against the victor.

Wardley was elevated to WBO heavyweight world champion shortly after knocking out Joseph Parker to claim the interim belt, with Oleksandr Usyk opting to vacate his world title rather than take on the Ipswich fan-favourite.

However, despite initially opting against the fight, Usyk has named a clash against the triumphant of Wardley-Dubois on his three-fight plan. Although, a third fight with Dubois is unlikely to whet the appetite of fight fans after the Ukrainian’s two stoppage wins over ‘Triple D’.

Should Usyk deviate from that plan, two-weight British champion Richard Riakporhe has revealed his intentions of challenging for the WBO world title, after his Lonsdale Belt win against Jeamie Tshikva, and he may be selected for another domestic dust-up.

Speaking on the Toe2Toe Podcast, ‘The Midnight Train’ doubled down on the callout, bidding to ‘right the wrongs’ of his unsuccessful challenge for the WBO cruiserweight world title back in 2024.

“I would love to right my wrongs. I tried to compete for the world title at cruiserweight, I wasn’t able to get the decision that I wanted and I just know that I can do it. I just need another chance at the title.

“I need to get the world title for me to be like ‘I have done all that I needed to do, in boxing’. I know that it is going to come, very soon. I am taking the right steps, I am improving, I am performing better. So it’s just a matter of time for me, wherever the shot comes from.

“I am just letting people know that I am here and this is the fights that I want to be involved in – the biggest fights, against British fighters, as well.

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“It is great because everybody is Britain is pretty much at the top of the list when it comes to heavyweight boxing. So, everybody is coming here to compete with us. Just know, that I put my name out there now, as a proper contender, and a very dangerous one at that.”

Wardley and Dubois headline the Co-op Live in Manchester on Saturday, May 9, in what many believe to be one of the most intriguing contests on the upcoming boxing calendar.

LAS VEGAS – WrestleMania 42 is the big-ticket item on pro wrestling fans’ checklist this weekend in Las Vegas, but before the bell rings, WWE will enshrine its 2026 class into the Hall of Fame.

AJ Styles, Stephanie McMahon, Sycho Sid, Bad News Brown, Dennis Rodman, the tag team duo known as Demolition and Hulk Hogan’s match with Andre the Giant from WrestleMania 3 are included this year.

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Jade Cargill, the current WWE women’s champion, is also excited about the Hall of Fame festivities. She told Fox News Digital she was a big fan of the Attitude Era of the WWE and was hopeful to meet “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.

“I hope he is there because I want to meet him,” she told Fox News Digital in a recent interview. “He’s one of the people, other than Paul Heyman and Booker T, Paul Heyman I was like I have to meet him. How did this guy survive this long? He’s bigger than life. He’s just natural with it. I have to meet him, have to take a picture with him, talk to him, I have to do that.

WRESTLEMANIA 42 CARD REVEALED AS MAIN EVENTS AND MAJOR MATCHES ARE SET

“And Stone Cold is the other person. I’m very hopeful that he’s gonna be there at the Hall of Fame. He was there last year. But I couldn’t like, there was so many people crowding him. And just to see Stephanie (McMahon) get her flowers is one-of-one. I love that for her.”

Austin was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009 as a wrestler. Last year, he was inducted as part of the immortal moment wing. His match with Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13 was inducted last year. He’s one of eight wrestlers who are in the Hall of Fame multiple times.

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The WWE Hall of Fame ceremony will take place at Dolby Live at Park MGM on Friday night at midnight ET.

Apr 13, 2026; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; The Edmonton Oilers celebrate a goal scored by forward Connor McDavid (97) during the second period against the Colorado Avalanche.Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images

The Edmonton Oilers cannot win the Pacific Division, but home-ice advantage in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs remains in play for the two-time defending Western Conference champions as the Vancouver Canucks arrive on Thursday for the regular-season finale.

Edmonton also will welcome back a key contributor, Zach Hyman, who has not played in two weeks.

The Oilers (40-30-11, 91 points) have a playoff spot sewn up. Which spot remains up in the air, as Edmonton, the Anaheim Ducks (42-33-6, 90 points) and the Los Angeles Kings (35-26-20, 90 points) all play on the final day of the regular season.

Edmonton holds a one-point lead over both division rivals and owns the regulation-wins tiebreaker over both (31 for Edmonton, 25 for Anaheim and 22 for Los Angeles), so getting to overtime would clinch the division’s second-place spot.

However, a regulation loss at home to the Canucks (25-48-8, 58 points), who own the NHL’s worst record, could create chaos depending on what the Ducks do in Nashville and the Kings do in Calgary. The Oilers still could end up in the division’s second or third spot, or they could fall all the way to the conference’s last wild-card spot.

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If the latter happens, Edmonton would have a best-of-seven series against the Colorado Avalanche, who own the league’s best record. Colorado claimed a 2-1 shootout victory in Edmonton on Monday.

Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch told reporters after practice on Wednesday, hours before the Vegas Golden Knights won the Pacific Division title with a 4-1 home win over the Seattle Kraken, that the plan for Thursday was to play to win and get the best seed possible.

The return of Hyman will boost the Oilers’ chances, the coach said. In just 57 games, the forward ranks third on the team with 31 goals.

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Hyman, 33, last played on April 2. Since then, he has been out with an undisclosed injury as the Oilers wanted him ready for the postseason. Knoblauch noted the team’s past four games, a 1-1-2 stretch that includes three one-goal losses, show Hyman’s value.

“He’s cleared and he’s healthy,” Knoblauch said, “so I think that it’s a good idea to put him in and see what he can do. Obviously, it’s not just him finding his game and getting ready for the playoffs. (Thursday) is a very important game for us.”

Despite the Canucks being in last place, they have embraced a spoiler role in the past week. Vancouver has won three straight, all in overtime or a shootout by a 4-3 score. The games were on the road against the Ducks and a San Jose Sharks team that was then still in contention, and Tuesday in the Canucks’ home finale against the Kings.

Jake DeBrusk scored two goals against Los Angeles, including the game-winner at 2:58 of overtime.

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Even though the Canucks’ season will end Thursday night, coach Adam Foote is happy with the way the team came together after the trade deadline that saw the club deal several veterans.

For instance, right after Vancouver took a 2-1 lead in the first minute of the second period on Tuesday, the Kings tied it 12 seconds later and took the lead after another 73 seconds. Foote said that if that happened earlier in the season, the Canucks would have spiraled. In this instance, they rallied.

“We’re doing things right,” he said. “We’re playing as a team. They’re sticking to the game plan.”

–Field Level Media

Manchester City captain Bernardo Silva has confirmed that he will be leaving the club at the end of his current deal in June.

The 31-year-old has been linked with a departure from the Etihad Stadium for a large part of the season, having donned the Manchester City skipper’s armband since the Blues bid farewell to Kyle Walker and Kevin De Bruyne last summer.

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Silva joined Manchester City from AS Monaco for £43 million in 2017 and has established his status as one of the club’s all-time greats, having made the most appearances a player has ever amassed under Guardiola throughout the Catalan’s managerial career.

A six-time Premier League winner, the Portugal international lifted his first piece of silverware as Manchester City captain in March as the Blues beat Premier League leaders Arsenal – whom they face this Sunday – in the Carabao Cup final.

Manchester City assistant coach Pepijn Lijnders confirmed in a recent press conference that Silva is into his final few weeks at the Etihad Stadium – and the Benfica academy graduate has finally confirmed that he will be starting a new chapter next season.

Announcing his departure on his social media platforms, Silva said:

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“Cityzens,

When I arrived 9 years ago, I was following a dream of a little boy, wanting to succeed in life, wanting to achieve great things. This city and this club gave me much more than that, much more than I ever hoped for. What we won and achieved together is a legacy that will forever be cherished in my heart. The Centurions, the domestic quadruple, the Treble, the Four In A Row and much more. It wasn’t that bad 😉

In a few months, it’s time to say goodbye to the city where not only we won so much as a football club, but also where I started my marriage and my family. From the bottom of my heart, Ines and Carlota, thank you!

To the fans, your unconditional support throughout the years is something that I will never forget. My main goal as a player was to always play with passion so you guys could feel proud and well represented on the pitch. I hope you felt that every single game. I arrived as a Man City player, I leave as one more of you, a Man City supporter for life. Keep supporting this young team and I’m pretty sure they will bring you a lot of new fantastic memories in the future.

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To the club, Pep, the staff and all my teammates these 9 years, thank you for all the memories and for letting me be a part of this journey for so long. The atmosphere we created every day in the training ground made me feel at home and a part of a big family. Let’s enjoy together these last weeks and fight for what this season still brings us.

Love you all,

Bernardo.”

This is a developing story. More to follow.

Mumbai Indians: Hardik Pandya (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Danish Malewar, Robin Minz (wk), Ryan Rickelton (wk), Sherfane Rutherford, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Atharva Ankolekar, Raj Bawa, Corbin Bosch, Will Jacks, Mayank Rawat, Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Shardul Thakur, Ashwani Kumar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Deepak Chahar, AM Ghazanfar, Mayank Markande, Mohd Izhar, Raghu Sharma.

Punjab Kings: Shreyas Iyer (c), Priyansh Arya, Pyla Avinash, Harnoor Singh, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Vishnu Vinod (wk), Nehal Wadhera, Azmatullah Omarzai, Cooper Connolly, Marco Jansen, Musheer Khan, Mitchell Owen, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Suryansh Shedge, Arshdeep Singh, Xavier Bartlett, Yuzvendra Chahal, Praveen Dubey, Ben Dwarshuis, Lockie Ferguson, Harpreet Brar, Vishal Nishad, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Thakur.

Carrying a $2.7 million label and star-quality bloodlines, St Gotthard was the focus at Warwick Farm, and the colt met the hype head-on.

The margin was only narrow, yet the brother to 2024 Coolmore Stud Stakes winner Switzerland showed resolve, responding boldly to the challenge from runner-up Peyton to secure Wednesday’s Kia Ora Bloodlines to Headlines Handicap (1200m) by a half-neck.

Jockey James McDonald praised St Gotthard as innate talent, adding that his auction price lost relevance post-sale.

“It means nothing. He’s just a beautiful horse and everything he does, he does with ease,” McDonald said.

“He’s got a nice nature. He’s the full package.

“He was in foreign territory there being outside the leader and left in front a long way from home. He just felt like he floated a little bit, but he’s got plenty of talent and he’s a beautiful horse going forward.”

Chris Waller honed Switzerland and will advance cautiously with the youngster.

While Queensland’s winter carnival is an option, Waller’s main goal is developing St Gotthard for a prosperous three-year-old program.

He also filled third, fourth and sixth spots with Nations League, Wonka and Lafite, considering the runs essential groundwork.

“They need to have a few runs to get ready for their three-year-old year, so that’s the first box ticked for all four of our horses here,” he said.

“It’s great to get horses up to Queensland, or if the weather holds in Sydney to keep them here too. You can win a Saturday race in Sydney for $160,000 and with BOBS bonuses, it’s almost equal to a Listed race in Queensland.

“So here is the main centre of attention. Obviously, we’ve got the Group One J J Atkins if we get up that far, but the next few weeks we’ll be letting go some good two-year-olds.”

David Payne fielded thrilling filly Bangkok Hottie, who went from fifth in the Kindergarten Stakes (1100m) to victory in the Hyland Race Colours Handicap (1200m).

Bred by champion Too Darn Hot, she caught Payne’s eye immediately, prompting a break for spring targets like the Group 1 Flight Stakes (1600m).

“We’ve always had an opinion of her. Her first run, we were going to run her at Gosford, and she drew badly, so I said to the owner, ‘let’s give her a run on a big track and teach her to settle, she won’t disgrace herself ‘and if she’d drawn a gate, I think she would have been right there,” Payne said.

“She will go for a spell now, and I’ll bring her back for the Princess Series.”

Bangkok Hottie, a Thompson family homebred, joins their history that includes 2000 Caulfield Cup hero Diatribe.

Discover betting sites offering racing odds for handicaps like the Kia Ora Bloodlines to Headlines.

Oleksandr Usyk has shared his thoughts on Tyson Fury‘s display against Arslanbek Makhmudov.

This past weekend saw Fury make his return to the ring after not competing since his two defeats to Usyk in 2024, taking on imposing Russian Makhmudov at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

Fury was comfortable throughout the contest as he claimed a one-sided unanimous decision win, but certain onlookers believe ‘The Gypsy King’ showed signs of rustiness as he took part in his first fight in 16 months.

Usyk himself has now weighed in on his former rival’s performance, telling The Ring that he thought it was a good victory for Fury.

“Tyson’s win is good. I watched the first six rounds. I remember maybe fourth/fifthround, Makhmudov punched Tyson and I say ‘be careful, woah woah Tyson hands up please.’ Congrats. Great. Good [come]back.”

Some fans have criticised Fury for being unable to stop Makhmudov inside the distance, and in a separate interview with The Stomping Ground, Usyk also admitted that he wanted to see that happen.

Tyson’s win is good. It’s a win. It’s not loss. Maybe a lot of people want Tyson to knock him out. Me too. 12 rounds. Tyson win. Congrats.”

Fury is now hoping to finally secure a showdown with long-term rival and countryman Anthony Joshua, with ‘AJ’ also having suffered two losses to Usyk earlier in his career.

Having taken on both men, the Ukrainian has made his prediction for how a potential bout between ‘The Gypsy King’ and Joshua would go.