Carl Froch has given another honest assessment of Conor Benn’s performance against Regis Prograis, considering his chances in a potential clash with Ryan Garcia.

‘The Destroyer’ claimed a wide points victory over Prograis earlier this month, featuring on the undercard of Tyson Fury vs Arslanbek Makhmudov.

But despite defeating the veteran at 150lbs, Benn has received no small amount of criticism for the manner in which he went about his business.

Given that Prograis announced his retirement soon after, and confirmed pre-fight injury rumours, many expected Benn to at least get his man out of there.

As it happened, though, the two-time world champion at no point seemed in any real danger, other than perhaps the opening round when his legs buckled from a right hand.

Yet despite hardly setting the world alight over 10 rounds, Benn is now likely to secure a world title shot against WBC champion Garcia.

The 27-year-old claimed his welterweight belt in February, scoring a unanimous decision victory over Mario Barrios after flooring his man in the opening round.

As the WBC’s No.1 contender, Benn is widely expected to enter a summer showdown with Garcia, who has already teased a possible date in August.

Froch, however, has said on his YouTube channel, Froch On Fighting, that he doubts whether the 29-year-old would make it past round three against Garcia.

“I’ll tell you what: that performance against Regis Prograis was f**king awful.

“I’m not being horrible, but this is a guy that’s now talking and shouting about Ryan Garcia.

“On that performance, Ryan Garcia absolutely splatters him within three rounds, as far as I’m concerned.

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“Conor Benn was struggling to get his distance, his range [against Prograis] – he was leaping in with his chin in the air; he was walking into shots.

“He’s got no punching power. What’s happened to him? Why doesn’t he punch [hard] anymore? Why is he not ferocious?

“He needs to tidy up his fighting style, his defence. He needs to get behind the jab; he needs to become more of a boxer and a mover.”

Benn has not scored any stoppages since 2022, when his second-round finish over Chris van Heerden was followed by two positive tests for banned substance clomifine, albeit several months later.

Every week, we flag the “Nopedy Nopes” around the Minnesota Vikings — the takes that veer off course, stretch logic, lose footing, or collapse under scrutiny.

Three rumors. Three rulings. Draft week brings bluster.

This round focuses on trades, the future at general manager, and a downward-trending draft theory.

These Latest Vikings Rumors Fall Apart under Scrutiny

The Vikings Nopedy Nopes just a few days before the draft.

The Nopedy Nope: Dolphins RB De’Von Achane is in play for the Vikings via trade.

Because the Vikings now employ Frank Smith, Achane’s offensive coordinator over the last three years, Minnesota made sense as a trade destination — if the Dolphins were willing to offload him.

But Miami has no interest.

Talking to the media on Wednesday, Miami general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan touched on Achane trade rumors, stating, “He’s not available for trade. Things are going good. We’ve had some positive conversations over the last couple of days, trending in the right direction.”

“Obviously, he’s very important to what we’re doing. It’s part of professional sports. We’ll get where we need to be one way or another, but things are trending in the right direction.”

NBC Sports‘ Josh Alper added, “While there might be an offer that changes the Dolphins’ view of holding onto Achane for the long term, it doesn’t sound like there’s much reason to believe he will be anywhere but Miami come the fall.”

Achane in Minnesota would be electric, but Sullivan isn’t selling.

The Verdict: Nopedy nope on Achane as a Vikings trade option. Not happening.

The Nopedy Nope: George Paton is a frontrunner to eventually replace Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as general manager.

Some rumors claimed the Vikings could tab Paton for general manager duty after Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was fired on January 30th. That idea appears to be toast.

ESPN’s Kevin Seifert wrote earlier this month: “Some thought that Zygi and Mark Wilf were clearing a path for the return of former assistant general manager George Paton, who has spent the past five seasons as general manager of the Denver Broncos and is entering the final year of his contract.”

“Others assumed Brzezinski would eventually be promoted to the permanent role and that the Wilfs’ public neutrality on the question was mostly a function of the NFL mandate to conduct diverse search processes for every open GM job.”

The Vikings employed Paton for 13 years from 2007 to 2020.

Seifert continued, “Based on conversations in Phoenix, it’s clear that neither scenario has begun materializing — raising the real possibility that the organization will go through a second change of direction in a matter of months.”

“There are no indications that Paton is on his way out in Denver or wants to leave. ESPN senior national NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler reported that Paton appears set to return, and Broncos coach Sean Payton has expressed hope that Paton will sign a contract extension.”

It seems Paton will stay on as the Broncos’ general manager.

The Verdict: Nopedy nope on Paton as an Adofo-Mensah replacement plan.

The Nopedy Nope: Jadarian Price could be the Vikings’ next RB1.

Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton analyzed a handful of players who could sneak into the 1st-Round later this week, and Price qualified, the only RB to do so.

He wrote, “NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport believes Jadarian Price will be the second tailback off the board and may sneak into the first round within a shallow class of ball-carriers.”

“Jeremiyah Love, a projected first-rounder, and Price played together through three terms with the Fighting Irish. The former took on the featured role after Audric Estime’s departure to the NFL, while the latter served in a complementary role.”

Price has usually been considered a safe 2nd-Round pick.

“Although Price didn’t rack up more than 746 yards in a single collegiate term, he averaged at least six yards per carry and scored 18 touchdowns over the last two years. After a couple of seasons as Notre Dame’s No. 2 running back, Price may have more to offer a team that wants a decisive early-down ball-carrier who can also contribute on special teams,” Moton continued.

“He returned three kickoffs for touchdowns in college. Most of the league’s clubs featured multiple running backs, so don’t discount one of them taking Price on Day 1.”

Some think the Seattle Seahawks could use their 32nd pick on Price, mainly because they just won the Super Bowl and seem like they have a house-money roster.

Minnesota doesn’t pick again after No. 18 until No. 47, diminishing the hopes of Price turning purple.

The Verdict: Nopedy nope on Price in the Vikings’ organic draft range.

Nigeria’s Falconets are approaching the final step in their bid to qualify for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, with head coach Moses Aduku stressing the importance of full concentration.

The West African side will take on Malawi women’s national under-20 team in a two-legged playoff next month. The first leg is set for Saturday, 2 May in Nigeria, while the return fixture will be played a week later in Lilongwe.

Preparations have been calm and structured, with the team camping in Abuja for three weeks. This period has allowed the technical crew to evaluate players, improve fitness, and fine-tune tactics ahead of the decisive ties.

Aduku is confident his players are mentally and physically prepared for the challenge.

“We have a full squad available and the players are focused. At this stage, our attention is on tactical work and team organisation,” he said.

Known for their attacking quality and discipline, the Falconets are working to sharpen both aspects before the crucial opening match. While Nigeria will look to make the most of home advantage in the first leg, Aduku understands that qualification will be decided over two matches, making consistency vital.

Road to the final round

Nigeria have been dominant throughout the qualifiers. They advanced from the opening stage after their opponents withdrew, before defeating Rwanda women’s national under-20 team 5-0 on aggregate in the second round. That run included a narrow away win in Kigali and a convincing victory at home in Ibadan.

Their toughest test came against Senegal women’s national under-20 team. Nigeria secured a 1-0 first-leg win in Abeokuta before sealing qualification with a 2-1 away victory, completing a 3-1 aggregate success.

Across these matches, the Falconets have shown a strong balance between solid defending and clinical finishing, underlining their status as one of Africa’s top teams at this level.

Malawi, meanwhile, have battled their way to this stage. They edged past the Central African Republic women’s national under-20 team on a 1-1 aggregate score in the first round, before beating South Sudan women’s national under-20 team 3-1 on aggregate.

Their standout performance came in the third round against Guinea-Bissau women’s national under-20 team. After a 1-1 away draw, Malawi produced a dominant 5-1 home win in Lilongwe to progress 6-2 on aggregate.

That result highlights Malawi’s attacking strength, especially on home soil, and sets up an interesting contest against Nigeria’s organised and consistent approach.

With both sides just two matches away from qualification, the playoff promises to be closely contested. Nigeria aim to secure their place on the world stage once again, while Malawi are chasing a historic first appearance at the tournament.

Former India cricketer Murali Kartik has called for someone from Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) to step in, intervene, and assist Nicholas Pooran amid his poor form in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. The explosive Caribbean player has been far from his best as the franchise seeks a resolution to avoid a potential third loss in a row.

Nicholas Pooran, who retired from international cricket last year, came into IPL 2026 after an equally poor SA20 2026 campaign while leading the MI Cape Town. With other overseas batters on the bench like Josh Inglis and Matthew Breetzke, and even Indian names like Himmat Singh and Arshin Kulkrani being an option, LSG have to take a massive call.

Murali Kartik branded Pooran’s form as ‘worrying and concerning’ ahead of the Rishabh Pant-led side’s upcoming clash against the Punjab Kings (PBKS).

“You are relying on your Big 4. Aiden Markram has looked really good, you need him and Mitchell Marsh to strike at the top of the order. Nicholas Pooran, his form is worrying and concerning, because what he can do to the opposition, we all know. But he has been a pale patch of his best self this season. Completely muddled by the looks of it,” Murali Kartik said on Cricbuzz.

“He is not able to get pace away, and whatever technical deficiencies he has, somebody needs to tell him, because it is not helping,” he added.

LSG are set to face the unbeaten Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, on Sunday, April 19. This will mark the team’s third afternoon encounter in IPL 2026 after their contests against the Gujarat Titans (GT) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

Nicholas Pooran has scored 42 runs in five matches for LSG in IPL 2026

The left-handed wicket-keeper batter kick-started his IPL 2026 campaign with a run-a-ball eight against the Delhi Capitals (DC), where he was outfoxed by Lungi Ngidi’s trademark slower ball. Since then, he has recorded double figures in only two out of the four matches. Overall, he has scored 42 runs in five matches at an average of 8.40 and a strike rate of 76.36.

In his most recent outing against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), he chopped one back onto the stumps against Josh Hazlewood to depart after scoring one runs off seven deliveries.