One former world champion, who faced both Terence Crawford and fellow star Manny Pacquiao, has had his say on which legend he believes to be superior.

Crawford became the first fighter since Henry Armstrong to become a three-division undisputed champion when he overcame super-middleweight icon Canelo Alvarez in his final professional fight in September, simultaneously becoming a five-division world champion.

Meanwhile, Filipino hero Pacquiao remains as boxing’s singular eight-division world champion and has been a lineal flyweight, featherweight, super-featherweight and super-lightweight ruler during his career.

Speaking to Ring Magazine, Australian fighter Jeff Horn, who famously defeated Pacquiao for the WBO welterweight crown in 2017 but lost it to Crawford the year after, favoured the versatility of the American over the skills of ‘PacMan.’

“Crawford just had all the answers to everything I had. His counters were really good, he was fast, his footwork was good, he was able to measure that distance.

“I feel Pacquiao is a very come forward fighter, if he can’t go forward, Pacquiao doesn’t really have as many answers when he can’t really do that. Crawford can do it all. I’m going on pure boxing ability and overall, I guess Terence has the answers to all different of types of fighters.”

Pacquiao will likely be permitted to come forward when he rematches Floyd Mayweather at the Sphere in Las Vegas in September, in what is expected to be one of the biggest events of the year, as he seeks to avenge his most frustrating defeat from back in 2015.

Overcoming “self-doubts”, Meenakshi Goyat shocked Antim Panghal to book her place in the Indian women’s team for the next month’s Asian Championships, handing the two-time World Championship medallist a rare defeat at home. Having lost to Antim three times in the trials before, Meenakshi put up a display of solid defence, eking out an impressive ‘win by fall’ after leading 6-2 against the Asian Games bronze medalLIST, who has literally owned the 53kg weight category since the departure of iconic Vinesh Phogat.

Meenakshi often had Antim in a headlock position, never allowing her to play to her strength — aggressive and attacking game.

Antim went for a double leg attack in the beginning but Meenakshi denied her fancy rival and even created a position from where she pushed for a ‘pin’.

Meenakshi executed a takedown to go on board while Antim retaliated with a point. The 21-year-old then attempted single leg attacks but Meenakshi stayed solid in her defence. With a push-out point Antim made it 2-2.

In the second period, Meenakshi effected consecutive takedown moves to go up 6-2. With nine seconds to go, Meenakshi managed to push Antim on the mat with a solid grip and succeeded in pinning the three-time Asian Championship medallist.

In utter disbelief, Antim did not get up, staying on the mat on her back. Meenakshi, who could not stop smiling, came and offered a hand to her superior rival.

The 25-year-old Meenakshi, who is a two-time national champion, trains in Sonepat under former national coach Kuldeep Malik. She has competed in 50kg a number of times but is now settled in 53kg.

“It’s really fun winning the trials. I am enjoying the moment,” Meenakshi said, aware of her achievement.

“I could play my game today. I would lose to big names in the past despite being well-prepared but this time I didn’t let it slip. I always had these doubts in mind about my own capabilities but I have overcome that mental block. She (Antim) also made mistakes and I cashed in on,” said Meenakshi, the daughter of a farmer from Jind.

The chirpy wrestler said how she spent the night before with positive affirmations.

“I did not want to waste this chance. Till midnight I was imagining that I have won and won by technical superiority. I was telling myself that I have already won and I am going to Asian Championships,” said Meenakshi, who has trained under a number of coaches in her career.

“My family also supported and kept telling me that I have nothing to lose and all to gain. I have practised my moves so many times that by muscle memory my defence stayed strong, I did not give her my leg. Every time she attacked my leg went back, away from her reach,” she said, explaining the strategy and preparation.

Kuldeep’s son Ajay, who also trains Meenakshi said, “We were confident from the beginning. We had been planning for long.

Before the stunning defeat, Antim had won both her bouts by technical superiority — against Riya and Juli — without conceding a single point and in quick time.

Meenakshi had also won both her bouts by technical superiority — against Gouri and Anjli, without losing a point.

The Asian Championships are slated to be held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan from April 6 to 11.

The Suplex Throw

Also putting up an impressive show was Neelam who claimed her spot in the Indian team in the 50kg weight class.

Neelam’s suplex throw which she effected against Shivani during her 7-3 win was easily the ‘move of the day’. Neelam got a grip of Shivani’s waist, arched backward, lifted her and landed on her back.

Neelam outclassed Priyanshi in the final, winning by technical superiority.

In other categories there were no surprises with Sir Chhotu Ram Akhada’s Mansi Ahlawat (62kg), and Manisha Bhanwala (57kg) emerging winners after winning against the rivals from the same centre in Rohtak that runs under Mandeep Singh.

Since the formidable Manisha Bhanwala has now moved down to 57kg from 62kg, not many wrestlers entered the weight class. It featured only three competitors.

Hanshika (55kg), Neha Sangwan (59kg), Monika (65kg), Mansi Lather (68kg), Harshita (72kg) and Kajal (76kg) were the other winners.

Men’s squad: Ankush (57kg), Aman Sehrawat (61kg), Sujeet Kalkal (65kg), Abhimanyu (70kg) Jaideep (74kg), Sandeep Mann (79kg), Mukul Dahiya (86kg), Puneet Kumar (92kg), Vicky (97kg), and Dinesh (125kg). 

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Harry Maguire has been thriving under Michael Carrick but is yet to sign a new Manchester United contract with his current deal set to expire in June

Manchester United defender Leny Yoro hopes Harry Maguire will sign a new contract at the club. The rest of the Old Trafford dressing room shares this view, according to reports.

Since completing his £80million move from Leicester City in 2019, centre-half Maguire has been a mainstay within the United first team, scoring crucial goals and even enjoying a spell as captain.

The 33-year-old has played for seven different managers, both interim and permanent, during his tenure and has thus far flourished under the stewardship of Michael Carrick. However, he has entered the final three months of his contract and there are no concrete updates regarding a renewal.

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Some reports suggest a two-year deal in which Maguire would take a pay cut is in the works and Yoro, who’s partnered him in defence for the last four matches, has spoken out about the Englishman possibly extending his stay at the club.

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After the 3-1 victory against Aston Villa on Sunday, in which Maguire played every minute, Yoro said: “Having Harry in the team is good for us. I hope he’s going to extend his contract and he can stay with us. With all the experiences he has, he spoke to me a lot on the pitch and gave a lot of tips. That is helping me a lot.

“Even before the game, during the week, we speak a lot about the opponent. Sometimes he speaks before the game, or at halftime about positioning as well. Playing with him is really good for me.”

In February reports emerged suggesting that the majority of Yoro’s team-mates would also like to see Maguire remain at the club. A source told The Sun: “The players think it would be madness if he was not offered a new deal.

“Harry has endured plenty of ups and downs at United but has come through all that and is playing really well. He’s very well-respected in the dressing room. He is passing on a lot of knowledge to some of the younger players like Ayden Heaven and Leny Yoro. Everyone likes him and respects him and the majority of the players want the club to give him a deal.”

Carrick, who has orchestrated seven wins from his first nine matches in charge this year, was asked about Maguire a few weeks ago and perhaps dropped a hint about a contract renewal.

He said: “Harry’s an impressive character. He’s had a great career so far. Hopefully there’s a lot more to come. The journey and the experiences that he’s had, certainly since he’s been here and with England as well, showed exactly what he is.

“I think we all know the player that he is and what he’s capable of doing. Experience helps. His attributes help, and his character. His willingness to put himself out there. He’s really impressive at his age and he’s been really important for us.”

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Iran‘s football federation is “negotiating” with FIFA to relocate the country’s first-round matches at the World Cup to Mexico from the United States, citing the conflict in the Middle East, Iran’s embassy in Mexico said Monday.

Iran’s participation at this summer’s finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico has been thrown into doubt since the US and Israel launched a massive offensive against the Islamic Republic. Iran responded with waves of missiles and drones targeting Israel and American targets across the Middle East, with Gulf allies hosting US military bases also coming under fire.

“When (US President Donald) Trump has explicitly stated that he cannot ensure the security of the Iranian national team, we will certainly not travel to America,” Iranian football chief Mehdi Taj said in remarks posted on the embassy’s X account.

Watch moreFIFA goes MAGA? The World Cup, Trump and the future of football

“We are currently negotiating with FIFA to hold Iran’s matches in the World Cup in Mexico.”

Iran are scheduled to face New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles, followed by Egypt in Seattle.

The team’s base camp for the tournament is currently slated to be located in Tucson, Arizona.

Abolfazl Pasandideh, Iran’s ambassador to Mexico, on Monday denounced “the US government’s lack of cooperation regarding visa issuance and the provision of logistical support” for the Iranian delegation ahead of the World Cup, in a statement published on the embassy’s website.

He added that he had also “suggested to FIFA that Iran’s matches be moved from the United States to Mexico”.

FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP.

Trump triggered uproar last week after stating that while Iran’s football team would be “welcome” in the United States, they should not travel to the tournament “for their own life and safety”.

Trump’s comments came after FIFA president Gianni Infantino had given assurances that Trump had promised him that the Iranian team would be welcome.

Iran hit back at Trump’s comments saying “no one can exclude Iran’s national team from the World Cup”.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

A couple of months ago, a showdown between Oleksandr Usyk and Deontay Wilder seemed imminent. However, Usyk has since moved on from those plans, and his team has now revealed why the fight was abandoned.

Usyk publicly stated his intentions to take on ‘The Bronze Bomber’, keen to add the name of a another long-standing world champion to his impressive résumé, even despite the decline of Wilder – who has won just twice since 2019.

However, Wilder is instead set to take on Derek Chisora next month, whilst the Ukrainian has moved onto an unexpected clash with kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven, that being the first fight of a three-bout plan that does not involve Wilder.

Speaking to Casinostugan, Usyk’s manager Sergey Lapin confirmed that plans were in place for his fighter to compete in the United States for the first time since his heavyweight debut, but that ‘longer than expected’ negotiations was the reason Wilder turned his attention to Chisora.

“The negotiations for ‘Wilder vs Usyk’ took too long – they chose Chisora instead. We did discuss the possibility of a fight with Wilder, and initially the plan was that the fight could take place in the United States.

“However, the negotiations took longer than expected, and Wilder eventually reached an agreement to fight Chisora. This sometimes happens in boxing — while negotiations are ongoing, different opportunities appear.”

Wilder-Chisora takes place on Saturday, April 4, at the O2 Arena, whilst Usyk-Verhoeven heads to The Pyramids of Giza on Saturday, May 23, with the WBC heavyweight crown at stake.

AC Milan are looking at Troy Parrott for the summer, with the Irish international understood to be available for around £25m from AZ Alkmaar.

The 24-year-old is looking to make the next step in his career after a sensational season so far, where he has hit 39 goals in 44 games in all competitions, including five in Ireland’s crucial two group qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.

Parrott offered two dazzling assists in AZ’s win over Heracles at the weekend, and is full of confidence ahead of Ireland’s play-off against Czech Republic in Prague next Thursday.

AZ are open to a move as they naturally see the logic in selling such talents and regenerating, with Parrott already having attracted a lot of suitors.

The Independent has previously reported how Real Betis, Wolfsburg and Fulham showed the keenest interest so far, but it is now understood that Milan are monitoring his accelerating form.

The Italian giants are actively looking for a forward this summer, and Parrott is one of those under consideration.

His tactical versatility is also attractive since he can play across the front line. There is understood to even be the possibility that could attract city rivals Internazionale’s interest.

Parrott told The Independent in an exclusive interview last month that he hasn’t been thinking about his future that much, but his camp have naturally been assessing options to maximise his talent.

A return to the Premier League is only seen as likely if a top-10 club came in, with a current stance that staying abroad – particularly in the Bundesliga – may be the best option.

Iran is pushing to move its 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup matches out of the US.

Iran’s football chief, Mehdi Taj, said the country was in talks with world football’s governing body to relocate its games to Mexico, citing security concerns after remarks by US President Donald Trump.

“When Trump has explicitly stated that he cannot ensure the security of the Iranian national team, we will certainly not travel to America,” Taj said in comments posted on the Iranian Embassy’s X account.

Trump warns of safety risks for players

The push follows comments by Trump last week on his Truth Social platform. He said that while Iranian players would be allowed to compete, he added it would not be “appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety.”

Iran’s sports minister has also previously suggested Iran could boycott this year’s tournament altogether amid ongoing joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

Starting on June, the World Cup will be staged across the US, Mexico and Canada, with Iran currently scheduled to play across US stadiums.

Under current plans, Iran’s base camp would be in Tucson, Arizona, with its opening match against New Zealand set for the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

FIFA relocation unlikely, New Zealand execs say

New Zealand Football chief Andrew Pragnell told local media Tuesday he doubted FIFA would change the fixtures, while national coach Darren Bazeley said preparations remained unchanged.

“Right now, we’re preparing as if we’re playing Iran,” he said. “They qualified. We were drawn against them. And until we’re told otherwise, that’s the match.”

FIFA has not publicly commented on Iran’s request to relocate matches.

Iranian football under the spotlight

The uncertainty adds to headlines surrounding Iranian football in recent weeks. Previously, five of the seven women players granted asylum in Australia during the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup reportedly chose to return to Iran.

The offer followed a pre-match protest in which some players stayed silent during the national anthem — a gesture that prompted Iranian state television to label them “wartime traitors.”

Edited by: Rob Turner