Oleksandr Usyk is on the lookout for a voluntary defence of the unified heavyweight world titles and there is one world champion who was revealed that he would accept that shot ‘with both hands’.

Usyk seemed set to take on Deontay Wilder until prolonged negotiations caused ‘The Bronze Bomber’ to pull out of talks and instead agree to a showdown with Derek Chisora, with that fight set to take place on April 4.

Now, he is left deciding whether to find an alternate opponent or wait to face Wilder, should he defeat Chisora, for what will be the Ukrainian’s final voluntary defence of the titles – at least the WBC – until he is mandated to take on Germany’s Agit Kabayel.

Speaking to Fight Hub TV, IBF cruiserweight ruler Jai Opetaia said that, whilst his current focus is becoming the undisputed champion at 200lbs, he would step up to heavyweight and accept a fight against Usyk ‘with both hands’ if offered the opportunity.

“Who knows what the future holds. I’m not here to call out Usyk, I’m not like that. I never really sit here and call people out or try to disrespect anyone.

“Obviously, if that fight comes, a fight against Usyk, you take it with both hands but we are just here to focus on becoming undisputed at the moment.

“Them [Zuffa] being in talks with signing Usyk is huge. It just shows that Zuffa is heading in the right direction.”

Opetaia is scheduled to make his Zuffa Boxing debut on Sunday, March 8, where he attempts to claim the vacant and inaugural Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight title against Atlanta’s Brandon Glanton. A move up to heavyweight for the 30-year-old seems inevitable one day, but Usyk – who has also been linked with a move to Dana White’s Zuffa – is much more likely to focus on the names already present in the division.

Former undisputed champion Lennox Lewis has given his opinion on the upcoming all-British heavyweight world title clash between Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois, which is scheduled to take place in less than three months’ time.

Upgraded to full world champion after claiming the WBO Interim strap with a shock win over Joseph Parker in October, Wardley has accepted a difficult challenge for his first defence of the belt, taking on former IBF champion Dubois.

Wardley-Dubois will be the seventh heavyweight title contest involving two Britons in the history of boxing and the sixth occasion on which a heavyweight title bout has headed to Manchester, with fight fans eagerly anticipating an instant classic in what looks to be a well-matched affair.

Speaking with Pro Boxing Fans, Lewis, who defended the heavyweight crown against fellow Britons Frank Bruno and Henry Akinwande, looked ahead to the event and declared that former white collar fighter Wardley should be proud of how far he has come.

“I think that is another great fight to see because Fabio Wardley has come a long way and made some big steps, he should feel proud of what he has accomplished so far.

“I think that will be a great, British fight. All the British fans are going to be excited about it.”

Wardley-Dubois will headline a card at the Co-op Live Arena on Saturday, May 9, with Hamzah Sheeraz anticipated to fight Alem Begic for the vacant WBO super-middleweight world title in the co-main event of the bill.

Super Eagles and Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen has revealed the difficulties he faced during his time at Napoli.

The 27-year-old joined the Italian club from Lille for €75 million, a record signing for Napoli. However, five years later, questions arose over the legitimacy of the transfer, and Napoli officials are now facing a court case over alleged false accounting linked to the deal.

Injury problems affected Osimhen during his first two seasons in Italy, but the 2022/2023 campaign changed everything. He scored 26 goals to help Napoli win the Serie A title for the first time in more than 30 years. Individually, he was named CAF Player of the Year and finished eighth in the 2023 Ballon d’Or rankings.

Osimhen signed a new contract with Napoli in December 2023, which included a release clause allowing him to leave at the end of the season if a suitable offer arrived.

The striker later fell out with Napoli under new management, particularly after a club video with racist undertones caused tension, a situation described as “bizarre” by former Super Eagles coach José Peseiro.

Chelsea, Juventus, and Paris Saint-Germain all expressed interest in Osimhen, but Napoli were only willing to consider offers from the Saudi Pro League. Eventually, he joined Galatasaray on loan before making the move permanent.

Speaking at a pre-match conference ahead of Galatasaray’s UEFA Champions League play-off against Juventus, Osimhen said he could have joined Juventus from Napoli, but club president Aurelio De Laurentiis blocked the move.

“Before talks with Galatasaray began, Giuntoli called me to bring me to Juve. I spoke with a few people from the club, and they showed interest, but I knew he (De Laurentiis) wouldn’t let me go,” Osimhen said.

He added that while he was willing to stay and work under Antonio Conte, the treatment he received at Napoli was unfair.

“We had a gentleman’s agreement that I could leave the following summer, but the other side did not fully honour that commitment. They sent me everywhere to play and treated me like a dog. I worked so hard to build my career, I couldn’t accept that kind of treatment.

“After the club’s TikTok, everything changed. I was insulted, and no one ever apologised. I was a victim of racist insults. I’m not a puppet. Conte wanted to keep me: I would have loved to work with him,” he concluded.

Osimhen’s move to Galatasaray has seen him shine again, earning him a place in the top three of the 2025 CAF Player of the Year alongside Mohamed Salah and Achraf Hakimi.

The 16th-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels take on the North Carolina State Wolfpack in a key ACC matchup on Tuesday. UNC is coming off a 79-65 win over Pittsburgh, while NC State dropped a 77-76 decision to Miami (Fla.). The Tar Heels (20-5, 8-4 ACC), who are tied for sixth in the conference, are 3-4 on the road this season. The Wolfpack (18-8, 9-4 ACC), who are fifth in the league, are 10-4 on their home court.

Tipoff from Lenova Center in Raleigh, N.C., is set for 7 p.m. ET. North Carolina leads the all-time series 166-81, including a 70-48 mark in games played in Raleigh. NC State is a 6.5-point favorite in the latest North Carolina vs. NC State odds from DraftKings Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 158.5. Before making any NC State vs. North Carolina picks, check out the men’s college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.

New users can target the DraftKings promo code, which offers $200 in bonus bets if your $5+ bet wins:

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every college basketball game 10,000 times and it entered Week 16 on a sizzling 11-1 run on its top-rated over/under college basketball picks dating back to last season, and is on a 13-7 run on top-rated CBB side picks. Anyone following its college basketball betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen strong returns.

Now, the model has simulated North Carolina vs. NC State 10,000 times and just revealed its coveted men’s college basketball picks and betting predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several men’s college basketball odds and men’s college basketball betting lines for UNC vs. NC State:

New users can also target the latest Underdog promo code, good for $75 in fantasy bonus entries when you play $5 with the promo code CBSSPORTS2 in select states.

How to make North Carolina vs. NC State picks

SportsLine’s model is going Under on the total (158.5 points). The Under has hit in five of the last seven head-to-head matchups between the schools. The Under has hit in two of the last three North Carolina games, while the Under hit in N.C. State’s last game. 

The model projects the Tar Heels to have two players score 14.6 points or more, including Henri Veesaar’s projected 14.9 points. The Wolfpack are projected to have five players score 11.8 or more points, led by Darrion Williams, who is projected to score 15.7 points. The Under clears in over 50% of simulations. 

The model also says one side of the spread hits nearly 60% of the time. You can only see that pick at SportsLine.

So who wins North Carolina vs. NC State, and which side of the spread hits nearly 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the North Carolina vs. NC State spread to back, all from the advanced model that has simulated this game 10,000 times, and find out.

After last year’s 7-6 campaign, Washington State football has played 106 seasons, dating back to 1917.

During that time, the Cougars have compiled a record of 587-597-45 (.496) through the 2025 season.

Since the program’s initial season, Wazzu has appeared in 20 bowl games, winning 9 of them, along with five conference championships and one division title.

WSU also has one unclaimed National Championship in 1915, after a perfect 7-0 record.

The Cougars have produced eight consensus All-America players.

Washington State begins its 108th season under new head coach Kirby Moore in the reconstituted Pac-12 Conference.

Ski Mountaineering, or SkiMo for short, is a brand-new event at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, and the only sport making its debut at this year’s Games. The sport combines elements of Alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, uphill skiing (also known as skinning), and boot packing all into a single race with courses consisting of an ascent, descent, and a foot section. This year at the Olympics, there will be a men’s and women’s sprint event, and a mixed relay event. Representing Team USA this year in ski mountaineering are Anna Gibson and Cam Smith (and if you want to learn more about the sport and the two Team USA athletes, there’s some great info here).

Here’s a complete schedule of all Team USA SkiMo events at this year’s games. While every event will stream on Peacock, you can also find all of them broadcast on USA, too. (To see specific air times, check out the official NBC Olympics broadcast schedule, and toggle your search to “TV Only.”).

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If you want to learn even more about every event at this year’s Winter Games, here’s a guide to everything you need to know about the Milan Cortina Games.

How to watch Ski Mountaineering at the 2026 Winter Olympics

Dates: Feb. 8 – 21

Location: Stelvio Ski Center, Bormio, Italy

TV channels: USA

Streaming: Peacock, DirecTV, and more

Where can I stream SkiMo at the 2026 Winter Olympics?

For $11/month, an ad-supported Peacock subscription lets you stream live sports and events airing on NBC, including the 2026 Winter Olympics, Super Bowl LX, and more. Plus, you’ll get access to thousands of hours of shows and movies, including beloved sitcoms such as Parks and Recreation and The Office, every Bravo show and much more.

For $17 monthly you can upgrade to an ad-free subscription which includes live access to your local NBC affiliate (not just during designated sports and events) and the ability to download select titles to watch offline.

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Where to watch Ski Mountaineering on TV:

Team USA men’s and women’s SkiMo coverage will be broadcast on USA. (To see specific air times, check out the official NBC Olympics broadcast schedule, and toggle your search to “TV Only.”). You can stream USA on DirecTV, Hulu + Live TV and more.

DirecTV’s Entertainment tier gets you access to loads of channels where you can tune in to college and pro sports, the Winter Olympics, and more. Channels include ESPN, TNT, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network, and, depending on where you live, local affiliates for ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC.

Whichever package you choose, you’ll get unlimited Cloud DVR storage and access to ESPN+’s new streaming tier, ESPN Unlimited.

DirecTV’s Entertainment tier package is $89.99/month. But you can currently try all this out for free for 5 days. If you’re interested in trying out a live-TV streaming service for football season but aren’t ready to commit, we recommend starting with DirecTV.

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How to watch Olympic Ski Mountaineering without cable:

For $11/month, an ad-supported Peacock subscription lets you stream live sports and events airing on NBC, including the 2026 Winter Olympics, Super Bowl LX and more. Plus, you’ll get access to thousands of hours of shows and movies, including beloved sitcoms such as Parks and Recreation and The Office, every Bravo show and much more.

For $17 monthly you can upgrade to an ad-free subscription which includes live access to your local NBC affiliate (not just during designated sports and events) and the ability to download select titles to watch offline.

Who is on the Team USA Ski Mountaineering team?

These are the athletes on Team USA’s biathlon team:

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2026 Team USA Olympic SkiMo Schedule:

Thursday, February 19

• Men’s and Women’s Sprints: Heats: 3:45 a.m. (Peacock, USA)

• Men’s and Women’s Sprints: Finals: 6:55 a.m. (Peacock, USA)

Saturday, February 21

• Mixed Team Relay: 7:30 a.m. (Peacock, USA), re-air at 8 p.m. (USA)

More ways to watch the 2026 Winter Olympics

Manchester City saw a number of loan transfers fail to pay off in the first half of the season but the changes may be working

Manchester City have had a number of unsuccessful loan moves this season. Sverre Nypan, Jahmai Simpson-Pusey and Claudio Echeverri all needed something new in the January transfer window because of a lack of game time they were getting at the clubs they have moved to in summer.

Nypan is back at the Etihad training with Pep Guardiola and the first team, although he did not make the matchday squad for the FA Cup game against Salford. Simpson-Pusey has already played more matches for FC Koln in the Bundesliga than he managed for Celtic, including a home debut against Vincent Kompany’s Bayern Munich.

Then there is Echeverri, who made his City debut as a substitute in the FA Cup Final last season and started in the Club World Cup for City before suffering an injury that ruled him out of the rest of the tournament. There were high hopes for and lots of interest in a young midfielder who wanted to earn a spot in Argentina’s squad for the World Cup this summer, but while City thought Girona was his best option he moved to Leverkusen on the recommendation of his team.

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It looked too good to be true when he was unveiled as their No.9 and seen as a potential replacement for Florian Wirtz, and so it proved. He barely got a kick under not one but two different managers and the loan was terminated before the winter window had even opened.

It took some haggling to get Echeverri to Girona, with the City Football Group club having to move on another of their non-EU players to be able to register the 20-year-old. However, they had badly wanted him at the start of the season so were willing to rip up their plans for him.

Echeverri is yet to start for his new side but has played in the last four games off the bench – a longer consecutive run than he managed in Germany. He came on to face Barcelona on Monday evening with the score at 1-1 and played an important role in the winning goal that sunk the title challengers and local rivals.

“It was a difficult few months in Germany, I had a really tough time,” Echeverri told DAZN after the win. “Now I’m here, happy, trying to get back to the form I was sold to Manchester City for. I’m very happy.”

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The Carabao Cup Final will see Arsenal v Manchester City at London’s Wembley Stadium this March.

After a ropey start to their season, Girona have stabilised – in no small part due to young City defender Vitor Reis on loan – and the three points pulls them five points clear of the relegation zone and into 12th in the table. There is still work to do but the signs are that Girona can secure another season of top-flight football in Spain.

The indicators are looking positive for Echeverri again, who is starting to show what he can do when he gets a stretch of games and will look to earn starts to make even more progress. The Leverkusen move quickly became a mistake but it looks to have started being corrected.

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NFL free agency begins in three weeks on the nose, with “legal tampering” kicking off on March 9th. Internally, the Minnesota Vikings don’t have oodles of must-haves to re-sign, mainly because former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s draft classes largely stunk. Still, the club has one central internal mystery regarding free agents: Will wide receiver Jalen Nailor re-up with the franchise that drafted him or score a fatter paycheck on the open market?

The Vikings can’t ignore Nailor’s free agency, because his speed and role could swing the receiver room quickly. But is his price tag worth the squeeze?

Other question marks about linebackers Eric Wilson and Ivan Pace Jr. are intriguing, but Nailor’s free agency takes the cake this cycle.

Nailor’s Next Contract Is the Big Vikings FA Matter

The speedster nears a second contract and might be the fastest player in Minnesota’s offense.

ESPN Outlines the WR Situation

Regarding the Vikings’ WR section of the offseason, ESPN’s Kevin Seifert wrote last week, “The Vikings are paying Justin Jefferson an average of $35 million per year and must also budget a future contract extension for Jordan Addison, a 2023 first-round draft pick who is now eligible for a new deal.”

“That makes it unlikely they could allocate cash and cap space for No. 3 receiver Jalen Nailor, who is a pending free agent (and one of the few productive members of Adofo-Mensah’s draft classes). But no objective observer would feel confident that the Vikings have a younger and cheaper player ready to step into Nailor’s role.”

Spotrac lists Nailor’s 2026 market value at $4.7 million per season.

Seifert added, “They demonstrated their own uncertainty at the beginning of the 2025 season, when Nailor’s hand injury and Addison’s NFL suspension forced them to use the equivalent of a fourth-round pick to trade for veteran Adam Thielen, who was ultimately waived and is now retired. Has anything changed since then?”

So, yes, Nailor’s free agency is a “Will he or won’t he?” re-sign situation.

Nailor’s Production with J.J. McCarthy

Nailor’s stat line 2025 defines him and his impending free agency: 29 receptions, 444 yards, and four touchdowns. The previous year, with the more accurate Sam Darnold at quarterback, he recorded 414 yards and six touchdowns. Statistically, he profiles as a WR4.

However, Nailor displays undeniable flashes of brilliance.

Against the Cowboys in December, he single-handedly changed the game with three catches for 47 yards and two touchdowns, appearing, for one night, like a receiver poised for a breakout contract. When Nailor is on, he’s electric; the problem is his subsequent inconsistency. In the following two weeks against the Giants and Lions, he had zero catches, the surge completely vanishing. It’s volatile. Periods of drifting followed by sudden explosions.

Now consider J.J. McCarthy. Nailor is one of the few receivers with whom McCarthy has consistently connected. Through ten career starts, that same timing hasn’t consistently emerged with Justin Jefferson. Some of McCarthy’s best plays have come when targeting Nailor.

This connection complicates the decision. McCarthy’s 2025 season was turbulent, and stability is crucial for a young quarterback.

Therefore, the question becomes more significant than it initially seems: how comfortable are the Vikings letting the one receiver McCarthy consistently synced with … walk away?

Another Team May Hand Him the Bag

Why must Vikings sweat the mystery? Well, there’s a chance that Nailor appeals to a suitor free-agent team that values his speed. The squad basically thinks it can empower him more than the Vikings through four seasons.

If so, these teams, based on Nailor’s past ties to coaches, could make a run at him:

• Las Vegas Raiders
• Los Angeles Rams
• Kansas City Chiefs
• Pittsburgh Steelers
• Seattle Seahawks

The Raiders could be a frontrunner because Nailor is from Las Vegas, and that franchise desperately needs wideouts.

Vikings Option if No Nailor

Of course, Minnesota would still need a WR3 if Nailor walked. Seifert opined, “One possibility is Tai Felton, a fourth-round pick in 2025 who played 46 snaps and had three targets as a rookie. But that would require a significant projection, given his lack of playing time.”

“A draft that is believed to be heavy on receiver talent might provide more options. Addison has had three brushes with law enforcement in his time with the Vikings. He pleaded to lesser charges on two of them and charges were ultimately dropped on the third. If the Vikings were to change course and commit to Nailor while moving on from Addison, the same depth challenge would exist.”

From free agency, a list of WR3 might look like this to replace Nailor:

• Dyami Brown
• Jahan Dotson
• Tyreek Hill
• Jauan Jennings
• Wan’Dale Robinson
• Deebo Samuel
• Rashid Shaheed

If Nailor leaves, fans will know about it in three weeks. Free agency is oh-so very close.

Man Utd have got recruitment wrong too often in recent years, but things are looking up after one deal in particular in the summer.

Robin van Persie’s heroics for Manchester United in his first season at Old Trafford won the club its last Premier League title. Bryan Mbeumo’s efforts might only be good enough for a return to the Champions League, but that doesn’t make his start to life at the club any less impactful.

A major reason United have gone 13 years without a Premier League title is their recruitment. It has been consistently underwhelming and has often lacked a clear, long-term strategy. One minute, there is a focus on superstars; the next, the plan is to target young domestic players.

Really, United should be just focusing on signing the best players available to strengthen their squad. Adding youth and bringing in players with their best years ahead of them is always ideal, with Senne Lammens a good example, but there also needs to be arrivals who can hit the ground running.

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That is exactly what Mbeumo has done. The £65million summer signing from Brentford is in the running for the club’s player of the year award, and is only likely to be denied that honour due to the brilliance of Bruno Fernandes.

Mbeumo is certainly United’s best signing since Fernandes, who joined from Sporting for an initial £47million in January 2020. Between them, they are leading the charge to get the club back in the Champions League.

The Cameroon international’s return of 10 goals in 22 games is impressive and even more eye-catching is who he has scored against. He has scored home and away against Tottenham and netted against Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal. More than half of his Premier League goals for United have been against their ‘big six’ rivals.

In the process, he became the first United player to score against City, Liverpool and Arsenal in his first season at the club since 2012/13. He is the first player to do it at any point in their United career since Marcus Rashford three seasons ago.

It’s difficult to understate Mbeumo’s impact. He is a versatile forward who has played as a No. 9 under Michael Carrick, as a No. 10 under Ruben Amorim, and on either wing, as he may do if Benjamin Sesko returns to the side. Whatever position he plays, he is delivering.

This should now be the template for United transfers. Ineos put a rather ambitious target of winning the league by 2028, and it’s pretty clear United look short of that at the moment.

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The good news is that there is suddenly no outstanding club to catch. The days of Manchester City and Liverpool racking up points totals in the high 90s are over and don’t look like returning any time soon.

City are in transition, and Pep Guardiola could depart this summer, which would only add to the unpredictability at the Etihad. Liverpool are in a similar situation under Arne Slot. Arsenal could end their long title drought this season, but under Mikel Arteta, they aren’t in the same league as City and Liverpool were at their peak.

United still have significant improvements to make, however. But in Mbeumo, they have an idea of what their new signings should be able to achieve.

The 26-year-old has helped to transform the attack this season. This summer, the focus will turn to midfield. In trying to replace Casemiro and bring in two new midfielders, United need players who can make the same kind of immediate impact.

That is the only way they are going to achieve that ambition of winning the league, whether it takes two years or a little longer. Recruitment is the most important aspect of achieving success in football, and while United have got it wrong for years, there is an obvious example now of how they can get it right.

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