Canelo Alvarez has been named as the top dog at super-middleweight, but has been told he must face the next generation of contenders in order to retain his status.

The 35-year-old reigned supreme at 168lbs for the best part of four years, before losing his undisputed crown to Terence Crawford in September 2025.

It was a legacy-defining performance that saw ‘Bud’ move up two weight classes and claim all four major belts, before ultimately hanging up his gloves.

But with Crawford now removed from the equation, many would regard Canelo as the division’s number one fighter, even though the Mexican is yet to reclaim any of his world titles.

That much could change this September, when he is set to headline in Saudi Arabia, while the current world super-middleweight champions include Christian Mbilli, Osleys Iglesias and Jose Armando Resendiz.

Hamzah Sheeraz, meanwhile, is scheduled to face Alem Begic for the vacant WBO world title on May 23, featuring on the undercard of Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven.

Sheeraz has not fought since last July, when he secured a fifth-round finish over Edgar Berlanga, but the 26-year-old is now on the cusp of becoming a world champion in only his second outing at super-middleweight.

Acknowledging Canelo’s achievements, Sheeraz, who has yet to taste defeat and has 18 knockouts from his 22 victories, hopes to eventually prove himself against the four-division world champion, telling Inside the Ring that he is “gunning” for the opportunity.

“You could say he is [still No.1 at 168lbs], because of what he’s done.

“But, at the same time, you’ve got these young guns coming through, like myself, and I think it’s time for him to give us the opportunity against him to prove ourselves, and take over that No.1 spot.

“We’re all gunning for it, and hopefully I do get that opportunity one day.”

While Sheeraz represents a potential option, many believe that Canelo is more likely to face Mbilli, the WBC world champion, in his first fight since losing to Crawford.

NEW DELHI: Royal Challengers Bengaluru allrounder Tim David has been fined for “disobeying” an umpire’s instruction during his team’s IPL 2026 clash against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.

The incident occurred in the 18th over of RCB’s innings when David launched Hardik Pandya for a towering six over deep mid-wicket. The sheer force of the hit altered the shape of the ball, prompting the umpire to call for a replacement.

When a box of used balls was brought out, David picked one up and began toying with it. Despite repeated requests from the umpire to return the ball, he continued handling it for a brief period, clearly frustrating the official. The umpire was seen asking for the ball multiple times and appeared visibly irritated.

After a short delay, David eventually handed the ball back.

“Tim David, Batter, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), has been fined 25% of his match fee and has also accumulated one Demerit Point for breaching Level 1 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct for Players and Team Officials during Match No. 20 against Mumbai Indians (MI),” the IPL said in a statement.

“He wanted to have a look at the ball and did not hand it over despite being repeatedly asked to do so. The second incident occurred during the 20th over (19.2), when he again did not hand over the ball to the umpires, amounting to repeated failure to comply with the instructions or directives of the umpires,” it added.

Rory McIlroy showed his class once again as he held off the world’s best players to win back-to-back Masters titles, becoming only the fourth man to achieve the feat.

The 36-year-old from Northern Ireland continued his fine form at Augusta National Golf Club, finishing on 12 under par after a final round of 71. He ended one shot ahead of world number one Scottie Scheffler in another thrilling Sunday at The Masters Tournament.

McIlroy had ended an 11-year wait for a major at Augusta last year to complete his career Grand Slam, and he said that victory gave him the belief to achieve even more.

“I can’t believe I waited 17 years to get one Green Jacket and now I get two in a row,” McIlroy said.

“All my perseverance at this golf course over the years has started to pay off.”

The win is his sixth major title, drawing him level with Nick Faldo.

McIlroy also had to hold off a strong challenge from Justin Rose, who was hoping to become the oldest first-time Masters champion. Rose briefly took the lead during the final round but could not maintain his advantage under pressure.

There was plenty of drama in the final round. McIlroy fell behind after a double bogey on the fourth hole and another dropped shot on the sixth. However, he responded well with birdies on the seventh and eighth holes, and again on the 12th and 13th to regain control.

Rose, on the other hand, struggled at key moments, dropping shots at the famous Amen Corner, which allowed McIlroy to move ahead.

The victory places McIlroy alongside legends such as Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as one of the few players to win consecutive Masters titles.

Reflecting on his performance, McIlroy admitted it was not easy but was pleased with his determination.

“It was a tough weekend but I’m so happy to hang in there and get the job done,” he said.

“I wanted to come back and prove last year wasn’t a fluke.”

His latest triumph confirms his place among golf’s greats and shows that his breakthrough victory last year has truly changed his career.

Cartwright led the Black and Whites to a seventh-placed finish, three points off a play-off place, last season.

He said that they had cancelled last Tuesday’s training session after he told the team about his exit.

“There was a pretty emotional meeting when I addressed the players,” he said.

“The coaches left the room and the players decided to stay. In all honesty it wasn’t the type of atmosphere where a training session would have been of any value so I decided to call the day off.

“They needed to go and chat amongst themselves. I haven’t asked what was said, it’s not my business. I think they had some grievances that they wanted to talk about and I don’t know if they have been addressed either.”

The former Gold Coast Titans head coach said that despite his own situation he would not allow the season to be “wasted”.

“We’ve got to make sure we win as many games as we can,” he said.

“It’s ridiculous to waste a season. We’re sitting two points out of the top six.”

Ninth-placed Hull FC next welcome Challenge Cup semi-finalists St Helens on Thursday.

The Louisville Cardinals are one of the big winners of the offseason, landing coveted big man Flory Bidunga and talented guard Jackson Shelstad in the transfer portal.

The Louisville Courier-Journal covered Bidunga’s decision to transfer to Louisville, and what it means for his simultaneous entry into the NBA draft.

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If Bidunga does decide to stay in school, the Cardinals have a unique opportunity to build a defensive powerhouse overnight. He averaged nearly three blocks per game as a sophomore for Kansas last season.

Louisville head coach Pat Kelsey can also feel comfortable handing the keys to Shelstad, an experienced guard who spent the first three seasons of his college career at Oregon.

Barossa Park will play host to Sunday’s
Round 5 AFL game between GWS Giants and
Richmond Tigers. The game kicks off at 3:15 pm with GWS Giants heading into the game as favourites with the bookmakers. Continue reading for our in-depth preview of the GWS Giants vs.
Richmond Tigers
game and give you our free tips and bets.

When: Sunday April 12, 2026 at 3:15 pm

Where: Barossa Park

Bet 💰: Bet On This Match HERE

GWS Giants vs Richmond Tigers Odds

GWS Giants vs Richmond Tigers Preview

GWS returns from a timely bye looking to halt a three-game slide, while Richmond enters under pressure following a heavy loss to Port Adelaide. The Giants have been competitive despite recent defeats and will see this as an opportunity to reset. Interestingly, recent meetings between these sides have been tight, with three of the past five decided by a goal or less. Both teams have also struggled with turnovers this season, suggesting momentum could swing quickly. While GWS appears stronger on paper, Richmond’s unpredictability adds intrigue to this clash.

Naoya Inoue and Junto Nakatani are set to square-off in the biggest fight in the history of Japanese boxing, with both men seeking to prove their pound-for-pound credentials.

Whilst Inoue has consistently risen up the pound-for-pound ratings and arguably sits in top spot, Nakatani has been working away in the background and is finally beginning to receive the global recognition that he deserves.

Nakatani first claimed world honours as a flyweight back in 2020, before accelerating through the super-flyweight and bantamweight divisions with seven title contests at those weights in two years, becoming the unified 118lb champion during that time.

Back in December, ‘Big Bang’ made the jump up to super-bantamweight, in a first non-title bout since 2022, but was made to work in a points win against Mexico’s Sebastian Hernandez Reyes, who gave him his toughest fight to date.

Now, Nakatani is tasked with his fellow Japanese superstar, Inoue, with the chance to overtake ‘The Monster’ as both the pound-for-pound king and face of Japanese boxing.

In an interview with The Ring, a typically respectful Inoue was full of praise for his upcoming opponent, recognising the speed at which Nakatani is progressing.

“I definitely feel that he has grown rapidly recently and with the new fights he has been having at the pound-for-pound level, I have a lot of respect for him and rate him highly.”

Inoue, who puts his four super-bantamweight belts on the line, has said he expects his countryman to be the toughest test of his career so far. The super fight takes place on Saturday, May 2, in front of a sold out crowd at the Tokyo Dome in Japan.

In less than three months’ time, Xander Zayas and Jaron Ennis put their undefeated records on the line against one another, and pound-for-pound superstar Shakur Stevenson has offered his fight prediction.

Ennis was a unified world champion in the welterweight division, but moved up to the super-welterweight scene back in October and knocked out Uisma Lima in the opening round of his 154lb debut. Now, ‘Boots’ is believed by many to be the top player at his new weight, but he currently lacks the belts to back up those plaudits.

Meanwhile, Puerto Rico fan-favourite Zayas became boxing’s youngest unified world champion when he decisioned Jorge Garcia Perez and Abass Baraou in consecutive bouts, getting his hands on both the WBO and then WBA world titles.

Against Ennis, Zayas has the chance to prove to the world that he is the best super-welterweight on the planet, despite being just 23-years-old, but with his relative inexperience on the big stage, it is the Philadelphian who will enter the bout as the favourite.

On social media, WBO super-lightweight champion Stevenson agreed with the oddsmakers’ opinion, giving Zayas respect for accepting the fight but siding with his fellow American when predicting the outcome.

“Respect to Xander, hellavu young fighter with the heart of a lion for accepting this fight.

“We need more fighters like him in boxing, win or lose, he like that.

“Boots different tho, he’s the hardest fighter to deal with at that weight IMO.”

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Zayas-Ennis takes place on Saturday, June 27, as both men chase a legacy-defining win that will earn them pound-for-pound recognition.

Rajasthan Royals bowling-first XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (capt), Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Sandeep Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi, Tushar Deshpande

RR bench: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravi Singh, Shubham Dubey, Brijesh Sharma

Sunrisers Hyderabad batting-first XI: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (capt & wk), Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora, Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Shivang Kumar, Eshan Malinga, Praful Hinge

SRH bench: R Smaran, Sakib Hussain, Liam Livingstone, Shivam Mavi, Harshal Patel