David Benavidez has outlined his strategy to face an inferior opponent, collect another title and negotiate a more lucrative deal with Al Haymon’s PBC.

‘The Mexican Monster’ comes off a sixth-round finish over Gilberto Ramirez, who he dethroned for the WBO and WBA cruiserweight titles in May.

In doing so, Benavidez became a three-division world champion and cemented himself as a top 10 pound-for-pound operator, while still holding the WBC strap at 175lbs.

The 29-year-old has therefore afforded himself several options for his next outing, which seems likely to be against WBC cruiserweight champion Noel Mikaelian.

It was initially reported that Mikaelian, who comes off a unanimous decision victory over Badou Jack in December, would be facing Zuffa champion Jai Opetaia later this year.

Since those talks commenced, though, Benavidez has become the WBC mandatory challenger at 200lbs, seemingly attempting to torpedo negotiations between Opetaia and Mikaelian.

In any case, the Mexican-American has told Luis Parra that he expects to secure a three-belt unification match, which would signify the final fight on his promotional contract with PBC.

“Right now, I have to be very smart with my fights, because this is the last fight on my contract with PBC. I’m negotiating a new contract. I don’t want to take the hardest fight in the last fight of my deal.

“What I am going to do is fight another champion at cruiserweight, and after I win that fight, I’ll have [one world title] at light-heavyweight and three titles at cruiserweight. That gives me more leverage to negotiate a bigger contract.”

While Mikaelian represents a solid opponent, Benavidez has previously expressed his desire to face Dmitry Bivol in a far more appealing undisputed light-heavyweight clash.

But if both champions keep hold of their belts at 175lbs, then perhaps this matchup could be explored at some point in 2027.

Alex Eala of the Philippines blows kisses to the crowd after losing the women’s singles fourth round match against Jasmine Paolini of Italy at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, July 6, 2026.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

LIVE: Alex Eala vs Jasmine Paolini – Wimbledon round of 16

MANILA, Philippines–Alex Eala’s golden run at Wimbledon hit the end of the road on Monday night.

Eala went down swinging before falling to Italian world No. 13 and former finalist Jasmine Paolini, 4-6, 6-4, 3-6, in the round of 16 in front of a star-studded crowd at Centre Court that included Roger Federer.

READ: Alex Eala targets Wimbledon quarterfinals, more history for Philippines

A standing ovation from Centre Court.

Alex Eala 🫶 🇵🇭#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/FDHP2mVjda

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 6, 2026

The loss did not diminish Eala’s historic campaign on tennis’ most grandiose stage.

In another trail-blazing bid, Eala became the first Filipino to reach the round of 16 in a Grand Slam singles tournament after she unseated defending champion Iga Swiatek in straight sets on Saturday.

The 30-year-old Paolini, a former world No. 4, evened the score against Eala after losing to the Filipino ace in the Dubai Tennis Championships round of 32 last February.

Paolini, who made the All England Club final two years ago, booked a spot in the quarterfinals against Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk set Wednesday.

Donald Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino (AP Photo)

NEW DELHI: US President Donald Trump said he personally asked FIFA president Gianni Infantino to review the red card and one-match suspension handed to Team USA striker Folarin Balogun, a move that has sparked major controversy at the FIFA World Cup, according to CNN.FIFA later announced that Balogun would be eligible to play in the Round of 16 clash against Belgium after lifting his suspension, a decision that triggered political debate and raised questions over the integrity of the tournament. “All I did was ask for a review. I didn’t say, ‘You have to do this,’” Trump said from the Oval Office, as quoted by CNN, adding that he “didn’t think it was a foul.” “I didn’t tell him what to do, I can’t tell him what to do,” he said, adding that an independent committee “made the right decision.”Balogun, the American top-scored in the tournament with three goals, received a red card for stepping awkwardly on the right ankle of Tarik Muharemovic of Bosnia-Herzegovina in a 2-0 round of 32 win on Wednesday, triggering an automatic one-game suspension.FIFA announced Sunday that the suspension had been lifted for the round of 16 match, an extraordinary move that triggered praise from Trump and outrage from Belgium’s team. “Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!” Trump later said in a statement on social media.The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) said it was “astonished,” and Belgium coach Rudi Garcia mocked FIFA’s action.“I didn’t know that in the offices of FIFA the fifth of July was the first of April in Europe,” Garcia said through a translator in an April Fools’ Day comparison. “The Belgian federation does not defend itself, it does not protect the national team. She defends football in general, she defends her integrity, her ethics. I think it’s the first time in the history of the World Cup that there is this kind of decision.”FIFA said its decision relied on Article 27 of disciplinary committee rules.“The judicial body may decide to fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure,” the rule states. “By suspending the implementation of the sanction, the judicial body subjects the person sanctioned to a probationary period of one to four years.”

The VRC-CRV Winter Championship Series Final at Flemington saw an unexpected victor in Detonator Jack, who broke a long winless streak thanks to a favourable set of circumstances.

Previously winless for 952 days, Detonator Jack had struggled in the David Bourke Handicap at his prior start, finishing behind all other runners. However, he demonstrated a marked improvement third-up on Saturday to clinch the Listed mile feature by a short neck.

Sent out at odds of $20 with John Allen in the saddle, Detonator Jack recorded his first victory since capturing The Gong at Kembla Grange in November 2023. National assistant trainer Jack Turnbull explained that the stable had employed a variety of training methods to revive the horse’s old form.

“There were a lot of elements of the race today that worked for Jack in the sense of fitness, he was third up, blinkers were on, we got a nice cut in the ground and we drew low,” Turnbull remarked. “Still a little bit hesitant whether or not he wanted to be there or not, but credit to the whole team, we’ve been playing around them at home, tread, jumping, different track gallops, just trying to rejuvenate him and we got it done.”

“Tread training was a big factor, Track Kat (Katrina Anderson) had a bit to do with him there, and we’ve just schooled him down at Cranbourne. Obviously it’s been a long time between drinks, but we’ve kept saying that at home he’s wanted to be there, and he wants to do it, we just hadn’t seen it race day.”

Turnbull also highlighted the specific booking of jockey John Allen, who had previously guided the horse to three wins early in his career. Allen, however, confessed to being skeptical about the horse’s ability to turn his form around so swiftly.

“He’s always had good ability and he’s obviously won better races than today,” Allen said. “I was very sceptical looking at his run the last day, I thought it was very plain, but Ciaron said he’d changed a few things up during the week and done a bit of schooling with him and stuff, just trying to sharpen him up and it’s certainly done the trick.”

Check out the betting markets for the race at Australian betting sites.

Johan Manzambi is of interest to Manchester United and Newcastle after both clubs were impacted by Sandro Tonali’s move to Tottenham

Newcastle United have reportedly been informed they are ahead of Manchester United in the pursuit of World Cup sensation Johan Manzambi. The Switzerland international has registered three goals and two assists in the United States, attracting attention from several Premier League sides.

The Freiburg player, who contributed to 16 goals during the 2025/26 campaign, has particularly impressed on the world stage. His current club are naturally looking to capitalise on his elevated profile and have placed a £51million valuation on him, according to Sky Sports Germany.

The Magpies are keeping close tabs on Manzambi’s situation and should Newcastle formalise a pursuit, they would almost certainly be favourites to secure the 20-year-old.

That is because, according to The Daily Mail, Eddie Howe’s side are leading the chase for his signature, with the financial aspects involving both the player and club not thought to be problematic.

It has also been reported that United remain in contention for him, having maintained a long-standing interest, though their immediate priority is said to be Alex Scott.

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Newcastle are also searching for a new central midfielder following the sale of Sandro Tonali to Tottenham for £100m. Despite operating in a more advanced role at the World Cup, Manzambi featured 25 times for Freiburg in midfield and could therefore serve as Tonali’s successor.

United were in contention for Tonali before concluding that the transfer fee and his wage demands were prohibitively expensive. Judging by comments from the man himself, even if they had declared a concrete interest, he would have still joined Spurs.

Upon being announced as a new signing by the club, he said: “I’m very happy to be here. When I arrived at the club today, it felt fantastic. People said about there being four or five clubs – there was only one. I spoke to the head coach for close to two hours about the club, the fans, the stadium and our football.

“It was like magic because I knew immediately that I had to sign for Tottenham. I’ve played against Tottenham a few times and always found a great atmosphere made by great fans. I can’t wait to start the season.”

United do at least look set to sign Atalanta star Ederson. The move looked set to go through before the World Cup but his late inclusion to the Brazil squad delayed the second part of his medical.

Financial reasons played a role in United not signing Elliot Anderson, whom Nottingham Forest sold to Manchester City for a remarkable £116million.

Mateus Fernandes also opted for a move to Spurs over United with West Ham receiving £85million for his departure.

His former club team-mate Crysencio Summerville is also on the radar of Old Trafford chiefs with Fulham and Chelsea among the clubs looking to take advantage of the Hammers’ relegation.

Former heavyweight champion Shannon Briggs has given his prediction for the strongly rumoured showdown between Oleksandr Usyk and Deontay Wilder.

Last week, Usyk announced the decision to vacate the WBC, IBF and WBA. However, the Ukrainian confirmed he wouldn’t be retiring straightaway, targeting one more fight before hanging up the gloves on a stellar career.

Talks to face former WBC titlist Wilder have restarted after stalling earlier in the year. Usyk’s team has made it clear that the three-time undisputed champion wants to headline in the US before retiring, and Wilder, as one of this era’s standouts, makes sense. ‘The Bronze Bomber’s team have said they are open to taking the fight.

Speaking to Wilder in a clip captured by ES News, fellow knockout artist Briggs advised ‘The Bronze Bomber’ on how to approach the match-up. ‘The Cannon’ concluded that the American would be able to win against the undefeated Usyk.

“He’s gonna fight Usyk and I’m rooting for him. He deserves the fight because he’s fought  so many fights and defended his title so many times.”

“I want you to win that fight. You are going to do your thing. I know you are going to pull it off, too, with that right hand you got. Listen champ, just line him up, line him up. Hit them on top of the head.”

“He’s gonna come like this [in the southpaw stance] and he don’t leave much [open]. But, with that right hand you got, right down the middle… You’re gonna do it.”

Wilder is coming off a rare points victory over Derek Chisora in Manchester, and had been understood to be considering a rematch before this opportunity presented itself. With talks reportedly now ongoing behind the scenes, fans may not have to wait too long for an announcement, though Usyk is also considering a left-field fight with former UFC champion Jon Jones.

England forward Aggie Beever-Jones has signed a new contract with Chelsea, extending her stay at the club she joined as a nine-year-old until 2030.

The 22-year-old has become an established member of Chelsea’s first-team over the past three seasons after loan spells with Bristol City and Everton earlier in her career.

Beever-Jones has made 97 appearances for Chelsea, scoring 32 goals, and has helped the club win two Women’s Super League titles, two Women’s FA Cups and two Women’s League Cups.

Speaking after signing her new deal, she said: “It feels great. Chelsea has been my club since I was a young girl, and that means a lot to me and my family.

“It’s a very proud day, and I’m super excited to continue my journey and make more memories in blue.”

The Chelsea Academy graduate made her first senior start for England in May 2025 and marked the occasion with an impressive hat-trick in a 6-0 Nations League victory over Portugal at Wembley Stadium.

She was later named in England’s squad for Euro 2025, scoring in a 6-1 group-stage win over Wales before helping the Lionesses lift the trophy.

Five years ago Josh Tongue was considering an early end to his cricket career but he is now just one step away from fulfilling his ambition of becoming England’s all-format “impact bowler”.

A highly-rated youth pace prospect, Tongue was forced to contemplate a premature move into coaching after a shoulder complaint known as thoracic outlet syndrome forced him out of the game for 15 months in his mid-20s.

A ruptured pectoral in the summer of 2023 put him back on the shelf a matter of weeks after he battled back to earn a place in the Test team, and a torn hamstring meant he missed the entire season in 2024.

But as England begin to build towards their next chapter, Tongue, now 28, has emerged as a cornerstone of their attack.

He is inked into the Test XI after out-performing the pack in last winter’s Ashes defeat, made his T20 debut in Saturday’s victory over India at Emirates Old Trafford and could add a first ODI cap later this month after winning a call-up for the 50-over series.

Tongue’s injury history might have tempted the management into a more cautious workload, but the Nottinghamshire quick is relishing the chance to make up for lost time.

“I want to be a big impact bowler in every format, in Tests, T20s and 50 overs as well,” he said.

“Obviously I struggled with injuries a few years back, but that’s part of being a fast bowler. I’ve always wanted to play three formats for England.

“With the injuries I had a few years ago, not knowing if I was still going to be playing cricket, I put a lot of hard work in at the gym, running as well. There were some gloomy days in the gym, where you feel the walls are getting closer and closer, but that’s the hard work you need to put in to make sure you can stay out on the park and keep representing England. I want to play as many games as I can because it’s a privilege.

“Test cricket is very demanding, I’ve learnt that over the last few years. It’s about knowing your own body inside-out and knowing you’ve got the support to stay as fit as you can. The science and medical team are always asking how I am and we go from there.”

Tongue will take his place in an unchanged England XI at Trent Bridge on Tuesday, with the hosts 1-0 up with three to play in the Vitality Series.

That means a chance to renew his new-ball duel with 15-year-old prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Tongue beat the schoolboy sensation with his first two balls as the pair crossed paths on their respective debuts, before being clattered for six as the youngster showed off his remarkable ball-striking ability.

“I’ve watched him at the IPL and he’s an amazing player, an exciting talent,” he said. “He got hold of me for that six, which was obviously a nice shot, but I try to focus as much as I can on myself.”

India’s power-packed top three of Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan will be licking their lips in Nottingham, where short boundaries and true pitches have made for big totals in the past.

But to square the series they will need to outmatch an England side who chased down 191 with an over to spare in Manchester, as Jacob Bethell’s 76 not out carried them home.