Roy Jones Jr has offered a new viewpoint on a potential Jaron Ennis vs. Vergil Ortiz fight after ‘Boots’ defeated Xander Zayas last weekend.

Ennis became WBA and WBO super-welterweight champion on Saturday with a seventh round stoppage win over Zayas at the Barclays Center in New York.

It is the second division that ‘Boots’ has been able to unify after his previous success at 147lbs, whilst he was also successful in extending his unbeaten record to 36-0 with 32 knockouts.

Despite the win, Ennis had to come through some sticky moments in the clash against Zayas, particularly in round three, where he was caught with a number of big shots from the Puerto Rican.

Boxing legend Jones has now looked ahead to a possible clash with fellow unbeaten star Ortiz, and he told All The Smoke Fight that he is confident that ‘Boots’ won’t switch off at any stage like he did against Zayas.

“Put Vergil Ortiz in front of him and watch he don’t go to sleep. He might not win, but it won’t be because he went to sleep, because that’s a higher pedigree.

“That’s a guy with a better background, with a better past, with a better track record, a guy that he knows if you go to sleep, he gonna beat you. So he’s not going to go to sleep on him. I promise you he ain’t.”

WBC interim super-welterweight champion Ortiz would certainly provide a tough test for Ennis, having won all 24 of his fights, 22 of them by knockout.

While Jones remains confident that ‘Boots’ would be at his best against Ortiz, it seems that Ryan Garcia has another view, after revealing his prediction for the clash.

Alexandra Eala of the Philippines gestures during the second round women’s singles match against Maya Joint of Australia at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 2, 2026.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Alexandra Eala became the first player from the Philippines to reach the third round of a Grand Slam in the Open era, beating Maya Joint in an “electric” atmosphere at Wimbledon on Thursday.

The 21-year-old fought back to defeat Serena Williams’ first-round conqueror Joint 3-6, 6-2, 6-0, roared on by hundreds of Filipino spectators on Court Three.

“It’s obviously an amazing thing for me to do that for my country,” she said after booking a last-32 tie with reigning Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek.

“I really appreciate that I’m able to share this with the nation, but I think first and foremost it makes me super proud because of the work that I’ve put in.”

A historic day for Alex Eala 🫶 #wimbledon pic.twitter.com/LNdPll6STw

— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) July 2, 2026

There was an unmistakably Filipino feel to the small arena on Thursday, and not just provided by her legion of enthusiastic fans waving the Southeast Asian archipelago nation’s flag.

Her team and family were wearing t-shirts bearing a picture of the sampaguita, the national flower of the Philippines.

“I think the atmosphere today was amazing, it was electric, respectful and all that I could have hoped for,” said Eala, who stayed on court for as long as possible to sign autographs.

READ: Alex Eala turns Eastbourne heartbreak into Wimbledon breakthrough

“Of course I also want to give them time, my time,” Eala told reporters of her fans. “It’s extremely hard to get tickets here at Wimbledon so I’m very happy with the support.”

The world’s 12th most populous country has not had many female sports stars to cheer in recent years, with men’s boxing legend Manny Pacquiao and gymnast Carlos Yulo flying the flag on the global stage.

Eala was sporting a custom Nike visor bearing a phrase in Tagalog which translates to: “Every dream begins as a seed. Once it grows, it cannot be stopped.”

“I think it’s so sentimental to be able wear things or to carry parts of my culture with me on court, because of course it’s a huge reason as to who I am,” added Eala, the 29th seed.

“And for me to be able to represent the Philippines in Wimbledon, I guess, and in the biggest stages in the world, it means so much to me.”

Hard work ‘paying off’

Alexandra Eala of the Philippines celebrates winning the second round women’s singles match against Maya Joint of Australia at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 2, 2026.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Eala will resume her burgeoning rivalry with six-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek on Saturday.

She claimed a shock win over the Pole in the 2025 Miami Open quarter-finals, before losing a one-set lead in Madrid in a rematch a few weeks later.

Eala allayed any fears for her supporters that she was carrying an injury, despite wearing heavy strapping on her right leg.

“I’m okay, no injury, no serious problem. The bandage is more preventative. I mean, I guess I’m normal tired. It’s my job, so I’ll be back,” she said.

Eala had previously struggled to translate her strong performances on the WTA Tour to the major stage, winning just one match in her previous five Grand Slam appearances.

But she arrived at the All England Club in excellent grass-court form after reaching the semi-finals in Berlin and winning a WTA 125 title in Birmingham.

“I’ve been working extremely hard, my team has been working extremely hard and I really feel like it’s paying off, so these wins mean a lot,” said Eala.

Eala gained a measure of revenge for an agonising loss to Joint, 12/10 in a deciding-set tie-break, in the Eastbourne final last year.

“It hit me quite hard, I cried a lot, I wasn’t able to watch those highlights for a couple of months,” she said of that match.

“I think I’ve improved a lot in this past year, and I’m happy that I’m able to look back on that match now and smile.”

Manchester City confirmed on Thursday that they had reached an agreement with Nottingham Forest for the transfer of Elliot Anderson.

After weeks of speculation, Manchester City confirmed their first summer signing on Thursday. Elliot Anderson’s £116m transfer makes him the most expensive British player in history. Ordinarily, such an announcement would have been met with huge fanfare as pictures and interviews surfaced left, right and centre.

Instead, City used just 82 words to confirm the transfer. “Manchester City and Nottingham Forest have reached an agreement for the transfer of Elliot Anderson,” they wrote on their website. “Anderson, 23, is currently competing at the FIFA World Cup with England and has completed a medical in Kansas.

“The formalities of the move will be finalised upon his return to England. In the meantime, everyone at Manchester City wishes Elliot and the England squad the very best of luck in their World Cup campaign and we look forward to welcoming him to Manchester in due course. “

This modest statement spoke volumes about the Blues.

Transfers are notoriously difficult for clubs to complete when their targets are at a major international tournament. National teams don’t take kindly to players having their concentration pulled from international duty because of club matters. City had to act with caution to get this deal done, and the saga could have easily rumbled on for a few more weeks if City had attacked it in the wrong manner.

England could have had their backs up and forced City to wait until after the World Cup. This could have caused further disruption to Anderson and dragged his focus off his game – something none of the parties involved would want.

At the start of the World Cup, Thomas Tuchel explained his hope for Anderson as City’s interest became public knowledge. “He’s a top player. There’s nothing more to say, he’s the full package,” Tuchel told reporters.

“The bid? No comment. He seems not affected. I won’t speak to him about it. My assistant coach spoke with him about it but I won’t. It should push him because it’s proof of what he’s capable to do and what level he can perform. At the moment, it seems like a push for him.

“Even if a transfer is completed, hopefully he stays the same person. Hopefully he just stays the same – a humble, determined, hungry football player. Absolutely, he is very level-headed.

“I hope it boosts his confidence (if it happens). I don’t want to go into it too much if it’s a boost or not a boost – what I see on the training pitch is no distractions, full commitment, that’s what comes from him.”

Tuchel should now be confident Anderson is in a good frame of mind for the business end of the tournament. Showing respect to England and the FA can be seen as a one-way street with the Three Lions the only one benefiting, but that’s not the case.

One of Pep Guardiola’s many strengths was his ability to forge relationships with the national teams his players represented. This working relationship goes both ways and if City are to be successful, it is best they are working with national teams.

Enzo Maresca will look to carry that on next season and, at least with England, things are off to a good start. The time for the big reveal will come.

For now, this basic statement will only do City, England and Anderson good, and kicks off the 23-year-old’s Blues career on a positive note.

The 2026 John Deere Classic continues on Friday, July 3, with the second round at TPC Deere Run. You can find full John Deere Classic tee times for Friday’s second round at the bottom of this post.

John Deere Classic tee times: What to know

Rickie Fowler is hoping this week at the John Deere Classic sees him finally re-enter the winner’s circle on the PGA Tour.

Fowler last earned a victory on July 2 in 2023 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. That means it’s been three whole seasons since he’s recorded a W. But the six-time Tour winner’s game and results are starting to come around this season.

After teeing off in the afternoon for the opening round, Fowler will set off in the morning for Friday’s second round.

Fowler will tee off for Round 2 on Friday at 8:24 a.m. ET alongside Keith Mitchell and Zach Johnson.

You can watch Friday’s second round of the 2026 John Deere Classic from 4-7 p.m. ET on Golf Channel. PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ will provide exclusive early streaming coverage starting on Friday at 7:45 a.m. ET, in addition to featured group and featured hole coverage.

Check out the complete Round 2 tee times and groupings for the John Deere Classic below.

Get ESPN+

Advertisement

With an ESPN+ subscription, you gain access to PGA Tour Live, where you can stream the best PGA Tour events live from wherever you want.

View Product

2026 John Deere Classic tee times for Friday: Round 2 (ET)

Tee No. 1

7:40 a.m. – Patrick Rodgers, Dylan Wu, Takumi Kanaya
7:51 a.m. – Brice Garnett, Lanto Griffin, Max Greyserman
8:02 a.m. – Jonathan Byrd, Hank Lebioda, Sudarshan Yellamaraju
8:13 a.m. – Steven Fisk, Aldrich Potgieter, Garrick Higgo
8:24 a.m. – Adam Schenk, Joe Highsmith, Kevin Yu
8:35 a.m. – Karl Vilips, Will Gordon, Matt Kuchar
8:46 a.m. – Chad Ramey, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Thorbjørn Olesen
8:57 a.m. – Peter Malnati, Adam Hadwin, Mac Meissner
9:08 a.m. – Kensei Hirata, Pontus Nyholm, John VanDerLaan
9:19 a.m. – David Skinns, Paul Peterson, Jeremy Paul
9:30 a.m. – Nicholas Lindheim, Zach Bauchou, Noah Goodwin
9:41 a.m. – Keita Nakajima, Gordon Sargent, Ryan Voois
12:50 p.m. – Rafael Campos, Ryan Brehm, Beau Hossler
1:01 p.m. – Brendon Todd, Fabián Gómez, Mark Hubbard
1:12 p.m. – Nick Dunlap, Robert Streb, Andrew Putnam
1:23 p.m. – J.T. Poston, Jacob Bridgeman, Eric Cole
1:34 p.m. – Brian Campbell, Davis Thompson, Max Homa
1:45 p.m. – Ben Griffin, Jordan Spieth, Jackson Koivun
1:56 p.m. – Matt Wallace, Zac Blair, Ryo Hisatsune
2:07 p.m. – Erik van Rooyen, Doug Ghim, Vince Whaley
2:18 p.m. – Nick Hardy, Tom Hoge, Ben Kohles
2:29 p.m. – Christo Lamprecht, Blades Brown, (a) Preston Stout
2:40 p.m. – Hayden Springer, Neal Shipley, Michael Feagles
2:51 p.m. – Adrien Dumont de Chassart, Jeffrey Kang, Darin Fisher

Tee No. 10

7:40 a.m. – Adam Svensson, Denny McCarthy, Ben Silverman
7:51 a.m. – Austin Eckroat, Patton Kizzire, Michael Kim
8:02 a.m. – Taylor Moore, Harry Higgs, Carson Young
8:13 a.m. – Andrew Novak, Tony Finau, Sungjae Im
8:24 a.m. – Rickie Fowler, Keith Mitchell, Zach Johnson
8:35 a.m. – Chris Gotterup, Keegan Bradley, Tom Kim
8:46 a.m. – Emiliano Grillo, Ben Martin, Michael Thorbjornsen
8:57 a.m. – Justin Lower, Chandler Phillips, Danny Walker
9:08 a.m. – Cameron Champ, Martin Laird, Dylan Frittelli
9:19 a.m. – Jackson Suber, Luke Clanton, (a) Mason Howell
9:30 a.m. – Zecheng Dou, Jimmy Stanger, Patrick Adler
9:41 a.m. – Alejandro Tosti, Davis Chatfield, Augusto Núñez
12:50 p.m. – Luke List, Tyler Duncan, Pierceson Coody
1:01 p.m. – Matthieu Pavon, Lee Hodges, Troy Merritt
1:12 p.m. – S.Y. Noh, David Lipsky, Austin Smotherman
1:23 p.m. – William Mouw, Davis Riley, Daniel Berger
1:34 p.m. – Taylor Pendrith, Lucas Glover, Webb Simpson
1:45 p.m. – Michael Brennan, Stephan Jaeger, Aaron Wise
1:56 p.m. – Seamus Power, Mackenzie Hughes, Kevin Roy
2:07 p.m. – Camilo Villegas, Joel Dahmen, Rico Hoey
2:18 p.m. – Kevin Streelman, Max McGreevy, Johnny Keefer
2:29 p.m. – Patrick Fishburn, Chan Kim, A.J. Ewart
2:40 p.m. – Haotong Li, Kris Ventura, Marcelo Rozo
2:51 p.m. – Trace Crowe, Chandler Blanchet, Luke Gutschewski

Pratitee Bordoloi becomes India’s lone medallist at World Youth Chess

NEW DELHI: Last week, 13-year-old Woman FIDE Master (WFM) Pratitee Bordoloi created history for India in Montesilvano, Italy. Competing at the FIDE World Youth Chess Championship 2026, the Bengaluru-based youngster clinched the silver medal in the Girls Under-18 category.Entering as the 16th seed with a FIDE rating of 2129, the Shishya BEML Public School student produced a sensational unbeaten campaign, scoring 9 points out of 11 rounds against players up to five years older than herself.India fielded 13 players across six sections, but Pratitee returned home as the country’s sole medallist, securing her first WIM norm and gaining over 129 Elo rating points. Behind this historic podium finish lies a fascinating duality and perhaps a story of a quiet, introverted teenager who treats chess endings like mathematical equations, balances all arrays of life, and shares an uncanny birthday with a chess legend.

The Kasparov connection

Pratitee was born on April 13, 2013, exactly 50 years after the legendary Garry Kasparov, who was born on April 13, 1963. Beyond the shared birthday, her coach, Grandmaster Pravin Thipsay, notices distinct tactical similarities.“Some of the traits I see. Even in a bad condition in a tournament where she’s lagging behind a point or something, she plans it well to try to beat so that she can do at the top,” Thipsay told TimesofIndia.com during an exclusive interaction.

Six-time World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov

However, Thipsay stresses that Pratitee is far from a one-dimensional athlete, adding, “Pratitee is not completely a chess player. She’s a mathematical wizard, and she comes first in all the exams.”Her mother, Pranti Dutta Bordoloi, recalls how her daughter’s journey unfolded organically during the COVID-19 pandemic.Without rigorous formal training, a 9-year-old Pratitee shocked everyone by winning the 2022 Karnataka State Championship, followed by the National Under-9 title in Indore six months later.“She was still very good at calculations, at maths,” Pranti told this website. “She used to give Maths Olympiad from grade one and won a gold medal in the SOF IMO. That time only I thought that she should be good at chess also, since she’s good at Maths Olympiad.”Despite her rapid rise, her family remains deeply committed to a grounded life. “Honestly speaking, we are not that kind of person that, ‘leave everything behind for chess only.’ Our first preference is always studies. Not at the cost of study, because ultimately you have to be educated, otherwise life will not be balanced.”

Focus on independent thinking

“Compared to her age group, she’s much more mature as a person, and the logic base is very high,” Thipsay noted. “If you tell her something is good or not good, she’s not going to accept it blindly. She questions till she is satisfied, and that perseverance is very important.”This analytical mindset makes her a rare commodity in junior chess. “She’s one of the few players who is not bored with studying endings or finding out the accurate moves because she finds it very logic-based. Mathematically, she’s very sound,” the veteran Grandmaster added.During the World Cadet Cup last year, where Pratitee secured gold in the Under-12 Girls category, she established a unique system with Thipsay. She preferred resting immediately after her matches, waiting until the tournament pairings were published late at night.

Pratitee Bordoloi’s current coach Pravin Thipsay (PTI Photo)

“After the pairing was out, which is about nine o’clock there, which means 10:30 p.m. by Indian time, she would say, ‘I want to have a one-hour class or one and a half hours class,’ and we used to study,” Thipsay revealed. “She’s so thorough in the preparation… she wants to learn everything about a position.”This hyper-focus allows her to think independently on the board. “Dr. Lasker (Emanuel Lasker) said that the duty of a trainer is to teach the pupils to think independently. She has that capacity,” said Thipsay.

Keeping the pieces grounded

Despite the growing spotlight, Pratitee maintains strict personal discipline, balancing a 9-to-10-hour sleep cycle with physical training using a punching bag and cycling.With her mother holding a PhD in Artificial Intelligence from Christ University and her father working at a leading IT company, Pratitee has been raised to ensure that competitive ruthlessness remains confined to the chessboard.

Pratitee Bordoloi at FIDE Youth Chess Championship (Special Arrangements)

“I always used to tell her that if you also won, just don’t show your happiness in front of your opponent because she must be feeling very horrible at that time,” Pranti shared.ALSO READ: The making of India’s 97th Chess Grandmaster Harshavardhan GB: A ‘legend’ among friends, now his parents’ prideDuring a recent media interaction, the 13-year-old was asked about her future. “She gave two answers,” her mother recalled proudly. “One was, ‘I want to be a world champion.’ And the second time she said beautifully, ‘I just want to play well.’”

Molde FK have announced that Nigerian midfielder Daniel Daga has won his appeal after the Frostating Court of Appeal acquitted him of the sexual assault allegations that kept him out of action for 11 months.

In a statement released on Thursday, July 2, 2026, the Norwegian club confirmed that the 19-year-old is now available for selection again as they await the final judgment in the case.

Daga, a former Nigeria U20 international, had been sidelined by Molde since legal proceedings began against him.

The midfielder was previously sentenced to six months in prison by the Romsdal District Court after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman. The court also ordered him to pay NOK 10,000 in legal costs.

The incident was said to have taken place in April 2025, while charges were officially filed on December 19, 2025.

Following the earlier ruling, Daga’s lawyer, Astrid Bolstad, maintained that her client was innocent and insisted that the encounter had been consensual. She immediately announced plans to appeal the verdict.

“He is terribly sorry that the verdict was the way it was,” Bolstad said at the time. “He believes he is innocent and that everything happened with consent.”

After the initial conviction, Molde FK removed Daga from first-team activities, stating that he would not be considered for selection while the legal process continued.

With the Court of Appeal now overturning the conviction and acquitting the Nigerian midfielder, Daga is set to return to action for Molde after nearly a year away from competitive football.

Arccos has become a valuable asset to golfers everywhere to help them learn more about their own game, but the company is actually helping OEMs develop new golf clubs too.

On this week’s episode of GOLF’s Fully Equipped, Arccos CEO Sal Syed explained how the company has relationships with almost every OEM to use their data and explained some of the examples to co-host Jake Morrow.

Syed mentioned Ping has used Arccos data for multiple club development and fitting applications.

“This is something that they have talked about, so I can talk about it. For the last 400 years or so, golf gapping, the iron gapping has been linear,” Syed said. “But what they realized was for the improvement player, for a mid-handicap player, linear gapping doesn’t need linear loft gapping, so the four-degree or four-and-a-half degree, whatever the difference is, doesn’t actually lead to linear differences in distance on the course.

“Now they have a non-linear proprietary gapping algorithm that they have based on Arccos data, so that was a fundamental change that had been based on real-world data.”

Arccos data was also able to show Ping that players were using their wedges more from the rough than the fairway, which encouraged designers to change the grind and bounce options and tailor them more for play out of the long grass.

PING G440 Custom Hybrid

The G440 hybrids appeal to a variety of skill levels, each engineered to deliver different ball- flight characteristics – from the slightly fade-biased 2 hybrid for off-the-tee performance to the draw-inducing 5, 6 and 7 hybrids that help optimize gapping. They all share a new, shallower and thinner face design, which improves face contact for more ball speed and higher-launching shots that hit and hold the green. 
FLIES HIGH LANDS SOFT
Optimized launch and spin ensure distance with stopping power. 
FREE-HOSEL DESIGN
Saves weight to lower CG, optimize launch/spin and increase forgiveness. 
ROUNDED SOLE 
Ensures pleasing face angle in all hosel settings 
CARBONFLY WRAP 
Lightweight carbon crown saves weight to increase MOI, lower CG. 

Advertisement

View Product

ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA TOUR Superstore

Morrow brought up the example of the G440 hybrid’s progressive face angle design by loft.

“They looked into every bag of players that were playing hybrids, or Ping hybrids specifically, and there was basically nobody playing a 2-hybrid and a 5-hybrid,” Morrow said. “So they said, why are we trying to build these the same? This 2-hybrid is for this guy, this 5-hybrid is for this set of players. And I thought that that was just such a unique way to use data.”

For more from Morrow and Syed, listen to the full episode of GOLF’s Fully Equipped here, or watch it below.

Want to overhaul your bag in 2026? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

“>