Filip Hrgovic took just three rounds to stop Dave Allen last night in Doncaster, potentially setting up a clash with rising heavyweight star Moses Itauma.

Allen’s corner threw in the towel after close to nine minutes of straight punishment, giving Hrgovic the 20th victory of his career. Post-fight, ‘El Animal’ confirmed that he is interested in taking on Itauma next, and promoter George Warren said clearly that he would be looking to finalise that fight this week.

Speaking on his YouTube channel the morning after, Allen detailed how ‘sore’ he was from the three rounds, and had nothing but praise for the Croatian.

“He was really good, to be honest. He was big, you know. We weighed the same, but he was big … He’s not a huge puncher, not massively powerful, I don’t think he could’ve knocked me out, but he’s really good. He kept catching me on the back of the head – no complaints, I was trying to duck and slide around it – but it wasn’t an illegal punch.

“He’s fast, he lets his shots go … He’s just busy as f**k. I don’t need that at my age – he and [Luis] Ortiz are the best two [I’ve faced]. I’m a decent fighter, probably not as good as I was, and I do think six, seven years ago I could’ve gone ten. I wouldn’t have beaten him in a million years.”

The Doncaster man did not give a prediction for the Itauma match-up, but hinted that there may aspects of Hrgovic’s game to exploit.

“If he boxes Itauma… I don’t know, you know. I’m not sure. He’s good. He’s there to be hit, but he does that much punching, it’s hard to get one off on him. I felt like he would’ve slowed down, but for my style and ability, I’d have taken way too much to get him there.”

Itauma’s headline slot is booked for August 8 in London, so all eyes now turn to Hrgovic and whether or not he feels fit enough – and is not hampered by the cut he suffered – to go again in less than three months.

If the contracts can be signed, many feel that Hrgovic can be the man to finally take Itauma into deeper waters. If he can’t, the young Brit’s case as a future dominant champion only strengthens.

Danny Rohl has confirmed that Rangers will work on re-signing Mikey Moore from Tottenham Hotspur this summer. (talkSPORT), external

The Rangers manager also insists striker Youssef Chermiti will be a key player next season after reports linking the 21-year-old to Porto. (Daily Record – subscription required), external

Celtic face strong competition for Bodo/Glimt striker Kasper Hogh this summer, with a host of clubs across Europe keen on the 25-year-old. (Football Insider), external

Falkirk have received “fair offers from two or three clubs” for striker Barney Stewart, with manager John McGlynn saying any fee for the 22-year-old will go towards a grass pitch and training facilities. (Falkirk Herald), external

Middlesbrough and Scotland forward Tommy Conway has been ruled out of the World Cup with an ankle injury. (Keith Downie on X), external

Aston Villa may consider selling captain and Scotland star John McGinn to Everton if they can land Wales midfielder Harry Wilson, who is leaving Fulham as a free agent. (Sun), external

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

RCB: Rajat Patidar (c),Tim David, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Philip Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Jacob Bethell, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Abhinandan Singh, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Salam Dar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Swapnil Singh, Nuwan Thushara, Venkatesh Iyer, Jacob Duffy, Mangesh Yadav, Jordan Cox, Vicky Ostwal, Vihaan Malhotra, Kanishk Chouhan, Satvik Deswal.

Gujarat Titans (GT) opener Sai Sudharsan overtook former Australian batter Shaun Marsh to become the fastest cricketer to reach 3,000 runs in T20s. Sudharsan reached this milestone against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens. After being hit on his left elbow by a Kartik Tyagi delivery, Sudharsan walked off the field, but later came back, producing an unbeaten 53* in 28 balls, with six fours and three sixes in GT’s 248-run chase. Sudharsan reached the 3,000 run mark in 78 innings, outdoing Marsh, who reached the milestone in 85 innings.

Currently, the 24-year-old has made 3,017 runs in 79 matches at an average of 43.72 and a strike rate of 142.17, including four centuries and 21 fifties.

Sudharsan is currently the Orange Cap holder for most runs this season, with 554 runs in 13 innings at an average of 46.16 and a strike rate of 157.83, including a century and six fifties, with the best score of 100.

Sudharsan has posted four successive 50-plus run scores for GT so far this season, the most by a batter in a season, with his 53* against KKR, 61 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), 55 against Rajasthan Royals (RR) and 57 against Punjab Kings (PBKS), he has made a massive recovery in the second half of the tournament after a poor first half, where he managed just one fifty in six innings.

Coming to the match, GT opted to bowl first, and the three-time IPL champions made them pay as after skipper Rahane (14) got out early, Finn Allen (93 in 35 balls, with four boundaries and 10 sixes) and Angkrish Raghuvanshi smashed the bowlers all over the park, putting up a sizzling 95-run stand. Following Allen’s dismissal, Raghuvanshi reached his fifth fifty of the season, pressing the accelarator during his 108-run stand with Cameron Green (52* in 28 balls, with three fours and four sixes), helping KKR reach 247/2 in 20 overs. Raghuvanshi scored an unbeaten 82* in 44 balls, with four boundaries and seven sixes.

Mohammed Siraj and Sai Kishore got a wicket each.

During the run-chase, Sai Sudharsan retired hurt early. Skipper Shubman Gill (85 in 49 balls, with five fours and seven sixes) and Jos Buttler (57 in 35 balls, with five fours and two sixes) put on a 128-run stand to put GT in the hunt. But once they were dismissed, GT could not keep the run-rate up, ending at 218/4 in 20 overs.

Sunil Narine (2/29) was the pick of the bowlers for KKR and also the ‘Player of the Match’.

GT is in second place, with eight wins and five losses, giving them 16 points. KKR is at seventh, with five wins, six losses and a no result, giving them 11 points.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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IPL 2026 News | Shami’s Sensation Leads Lucknow to First Win of Season

NEW DELHI: A social media post involving Rahmat Shah triggered widespread confusion and panic among cricket fans after many mistakenly believed the Afghanistan batter had passed away. The confusion began when Afghanistan all-rounder Karim Janat shared a condolence message on Instagram along with Rahmat Shah’s picture and a note written in Pashto.Soon after the post surfaced online, automated translation on Instagram incorrectly suggested that Rahmat Shah himself had died. Fans were left shocked and several social media users started posting condolence messages for the cricketer.However, the reports were completely false. Rahmat Shah is alive. The condolence message was actually for the death of Rahmat Shah’s mother, not the cricketer himself.The confusion stemmed from Instagram’s automated translation feature, which mistranslated Janat’s Pashto message. The automated translation read:“With great sadness, I heard the news of the passing of Rahmat Shah, the legendary player of the Afghanistan National Cricket Team. This great tragedy has deeply saddened me and all cricket fans. As a cricket player myself, I express my deepest sympathy and condolences to Rahmat Shah and his family. May Allah grant the deceased paradise, lighten his grave, and give his family the patience to bear this immense grief. Indeed, to Allah we belong, and truly, to Him we shall return,” the automated Instagram translation of Karim’s post read.However, the translation was inaccurate and changed the entire context of the original Pashto message.The correct translation of Janat’s post read:“I heard the news of the death of the respected mother of Rahmat Shah, the talented player of the national cricket team. This great tragedy made me and all cricket fans very sad. On my own behalf and as a cricket player, I express my deepest sympathy and condolences to Rahmat Shah and his respected family. May Allah grant the deceased Paradise, fill her grave with light, and give her family patience to bear this great sorrow. Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we shall return.” Rahmat Shah last played for Afghanistan national cricket team in an ODI against Bangladesh national cricket team in October last year, where he retired hurt during the match.The experienced batter has represented Afghanistan in 11 Tests, 125 ODIs and one T20I, scoring more than 5,000 international runs during his career.

Manchester City beat Chelsea 1-0 in the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Chelsea interim head coach Calum McFarlane felt his side should have been awarded a penalty when Jorrel Hato collided with Manchester City’s Abdukodir Khusanov in the FA Cup final. The incident occurred in the second half as Chelsea pushed for an equaliser after Antoine Semenyo had scored.

Khusanov had managed to match Hato stride for stride before a tangle of legs saw both men tumble to the ground. Referee Darren England was well-positioned to make a call and said no penalty. VAR’s Peter Bankes checked the incident immediately and decided that the on-field decision was correct and play continued.

Semenyo’s goal proved to be the winner and while City will feel they deserved the win, McFarlane was unhappy with the officials at full-time. Speaking to TNT Sports, he said: “I have watched it back and, for me, I think it is a penalty. Jorrel gets in front and it is a collision in the back of Jorrel.

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“It is very similar to Joao Pedro’s last week at Liverpool. I thought that was a penalty as well against [Jeremie] Frimpong and we don’t seem to be getting the luck at the moment.” When asked if he had received an explanation from the officials, McFarlane said: “No, no explanation.”

Pushed as to whether he would seek one, he added: “Not much point [asking] now, is there?” Later, in his post-match interviews with reporters, McFarlane said: “I thought they’re tough calls. The Hato and Khusanov collision was a penalty.

“Jorrel gets in front. If it’s anywhere else on the pitch, it’s a foul – sometimes you get them, sometimes you don’t.”

Chelsea appealed for multiple penalties during the FA Cup final. Pedro felt he had been fouled several times inside the area but England and Bankes agreed each time that they were not fouls.

On Tuesday night, City travel to Bournemouth looking to keep the title race alive until the final day.

They currently sit two points behind leaders Arsenal. However, if the Gunners beat Burnley on Monday the gap will spread to five points, meaning anything less than a win for City and Mikel Arteta’s side will be crowned champions.

Filip Hrgovic made easy work of Dave Allen and took his moment post-fight to send a chilling message to rising star Moses Itauma.

The Doncaster crowd could not lift hometown hero Allen to Hrgovic’s level, who dominated from the opening bell until the moment trainer Jamie Moore threw in the towel to save his charge for another day.

Croatia’s Hrgovic was quick to apologise to the fans in the stadium.

“Sorry, guys. I know I’m not the favourite guy here. It is what it is, that’s boxing. Thanks to Dave Allen, his team, Queensberry and DAZN for this event. I’m moving forward to become the heavyweight champion of the world.

“I started fast because I saw all my punches connecting. He was very awkward from the beginning, so I wanted to finish him fast to make a statement.”

Hrgovic then immediately turned his attention to what comes next after three dominant rounds, and he spoke on the rumours that he will have a quick turnaround to face Itauma in August.

“I want a fight with anyone in the division. Moses, anyone. I just need to sit with my manager and team, see if there are any injuries or cuts. Give me a mirror, I’ll sign the contract now … I never run from any opponent … Look, if I’m healthy, no problem for me. We need to see what’s going on. I need to rest. Moses will never reach the promised land. You know what I mean?”

Promoter George Warren made it clear that Itauma-Hrgovic is the target, but is aware that the next few days are crucial to see if the timeline works for the Croatian, who had a small cut open up before the towel came in.

“Yeah, we can … That fight’s there. It’s done. Filip, when he re-signed with Queensberry, he was contracted on the basis that that fight was one of the options that we could put to him. As he said, he’s got a slight nick on his eye, and needs to go and make sure that that’s okay.

“Moses is booked for August. As soon as we’re back in the office next week, that’s my job. Get that fight done and announced. This guy is a world-class operator, and if Moses wants to be a world champion, Filip wants to be a world champion; they’re gonna have to get it on at some point, so let’s get it on now.”

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May 16, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Toronto FC midfielder Alonso Coello (14) kicks the ball defended by Charlotte FC defender David Schnegg (23) during the second half at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Goals from Wilfried Zaha, David Schnegg and Pep Biel pushed Charlotte FC to a 3-1 win over visiting Toronto FC on Saturday night.

Charlotte (5-6-3, 18 points) ends its five-game winless streak. The club outshot Toronto (3-5-5, 14 points) 16-11 despite holding less possession. Toronto keeper Luka Gavran made two saves and Charlotte’s Kristijan Kahlina finished with three.

Zaha opened the scoring in the 19th minute, breaking a five-game goal drought. After joining a fastbreak, Zaha received a Kerwin Vargas cross in the box before burying his shot in the bottom left corner.

However, Toronto attacker Derrick Etienne responded with a top-class finish from 25 yards out, tying the game in the 22nd minute. After driving the ball into the middle of the pitch, Etienne rocketed a powerfully hit shot off the underside of the crossbar and past the goal line.

Debutant defender Jonathan Gilman nearly pushed Toronto past its 1-1 deadlock just five minutes after Etienne’s strike, after heading in a long free kick. However, the referee disallowed Gilman’s goal, reasoning that Jonathan Osorio had unfairly blocked Charlotte’s Idan Toklomati in the box.

Schnegg responded with another long-range effort for Charlotte. Schnegg’s low, driven shot rolled 27 yards through Toronto’s defense and past the outstretched hands of Gavran into the goal. His strike marked his first league goal for Charlotte and Vargas’ second assist of the night.

Biel scored an 83rd-minute penalty to extend Charlotte’s lead to two. The referee awarded Charlotte the penalty after Osorio got tangled up with an attacker in the box off a corner. Biel fired his penalty straight down the middle to secure his eighth goal in 13 league appearances.

Although Toronto threatened the Charlotte goal throughout the match, a second goal never came. Its defense continued to struggle, extending their 10-game streak without a clean sheet. Their road loss also extended its winless streak to seven, the longest current streak in the league.

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–Field Level Media