Throughout the latter years of his professional career, Terence Crawford was linked to a showdown with Jaron Ennis. Now, ‘Bud’ has shared his thoughts on ‘Boots’ upcoming unified title challenge against Xander Zayas.

At present, Puerto Rico’s Zayas is boxing’s youngest unified world champion, after the 23-year-old trumped Jorge Garcia Perez and then Abass Baraou to get his hands on the WBA and WBO super-welterweight world titles.

Whilst already adored in his home country, Zayas could achieve global stardom in the sport if he is able to pull off the upset and hand Ennis a first career defeat.

Meanwhile, for Ennis, the bout represents the opportunity to become a two-division unified champion – having held the WBA and IBF titles at welterweight – and gain leverage in negotiations for an in-demand showdown with Vergil Ortiz Jr or further unification clashes against the other two champions, Josh Kelly and Sebastian Fundora.

Speaking to Jai McAllister, Crawford looked ahead to the scrap and showed respect for Zayas for accepting such a difficult challenge so early in his career, but the 38-year-old ultimately sided with ‘Boots’, believing that his experience will prove decisive.

“Man, that is a tough fight, especially for Xander at this point in his career, but it shows his heart and his confidence that he has in himself. He is ready to go make history for his country and he is going to do real well in that fight.

“I just think that, right now, it is a little bit too early for him.”

Zayas-Ennis takes place on Saturday, June 27, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, in one of the most anticipated fights of the summer.

Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game-improvement column that will help you become a smarter, better golfer.

Shots hit on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of Masters week may not count on the scorecard, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t important. The work that happens early week at Augusta National can oftentimes be the difference between wearing the green jacket and becoming just another footnote to history.

In recent years, golf fans have gotten an even closer look at how players are going through this prep. With the debut of the Masters range tracker, you can see every shot hit on the practice tee throughout the week. It’s heaven for golf nerds.

Another neat integration comes courtesy of CBS’s utilization of GOLFTEC’s OptiMotion technology. With it, they can break down players’ swings like never before. This week, they captured defending champ Rory McIlroy’s swing — and highlighted a key move that all golfers can learn from.

Copy this Rory move

On the swing in the video above, you can see the weight distribution between McIlroy’s feet throughout the swing.

The weight starts fairly evenly distributed between both feet as he starts, and then it shifts to favor the trail side as he takes the club back. However, it does not continue shifting away from the target throughout the entirety of his backswing. Instead, his weight is maximally shifted away from the target (about 65 percent) when his lead arm is parallel to the ground. Then, it starts to gradually shift back toward the target.

By the time his backswing is complete, McIlroy has already started shifting his weight back to his lead side, with only 59 percent of his weight favoring his trail side. This move — known as re-centering — is crucial for solid ball striking, and is seen in every good golf swing.

“When we look at amateur golfers — particularly those who struggle to generate consistent contact — we notice they do not follow this same pattern,” says GOLF Top 100 Teacher Nick Clearwater. “Instead of shifting up to 20 percent of their weight toward the target by the top of the swing like the pros do, they typically shift only a fraction of that percentage.”

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McIlroy’s swing demonstrates this move well — and it’s something you should strive to copy if you want to improve your ball striking.

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The idea of 11 Premier League teams playing in Europe may sound unlikely, but under current rules, it is possible.

In recent seasons, qualification for European competitions has become more complex. A major reason is the introduction of European Performance Spots (EPS). These are extra Champions League places given to the two leagues with the best results in Europe each season.

The Premier League has already secured one of these extra places for the 2026–27 season after Arsenal beat Sporting CP 1-0.

This means England will have at least eight teams in European competitions next season.

How the places are shared

With the extra spot, the current plan looks like this:
• Fifth place goes into the Champions League
• Sixth place goes into the Europa League
• Seventh place goes into the Conference League

The race for fifth place is very close. Liverpool are currently fifth with 49 points, but several teams are just behind them, making the battle very tight.

What if Liverpool win the Champions League?

If Liverpool win the UEFA Champions League and finish in the top four, nothing changes. England will still have five teams in the Champions League and eight in Europe.

However, if they win it and finish outside the top four, then six English teams will qualify for the Champions League:
• The top four teams
• Liverpool as champions
• The EPS place

In this case, one Europa League spot would be lost, meaning the total number of English teams in Europe would remain eight.

This happens because UEFA rules say if a team qualifies for both a higher and lower competition, the lower place must be given up.

Could England get nine teams in Europe?

Yes, but only if Liverpool win the Champions League and finish outside the normal European places. That means finishing below the top six or seven, depending on cup results.

What if another English team wins the Europa League?

If Aston Villa win the UEFA Europa League, the situation is similar to Liverpool’s case. Their final league position would decide whether England gains an extra place or loses one.

But things are different for Nottingham Forest. If they win the Europa League, they cannot qualify for Europe through the league. So England would automatically have:
• Six teams in the Champions League
• At least nine teams in Europe overall

So how could 11 teams qualify?

For the Premier League to send as many as 11 teams to Europe, several rare outcomes must happen at the same time:
• English clubs win multiple European competitions
• Some of those winners finish outside the normal qualification places
• Domestic cup winners also take European spots

While it is unlikely, the rules make it possible. For now, one thing is certain — the Premier League will have at least eight teams playing in Europe next season, and possibly even more depending on how results go.

Jadon Sancho has endured a torrid term with Manchester United since his arrival in 2021, but his nightmarish era at Old Trafford could draw to a close this summer

Borussia Dortmund are keen on signing Manchester United flop Jadon Sancho for a third time, club chief Lars Ricken has confirmed. The English winger, who cost £73m when he joined in 2021, has endured a torrid spell at Old Trafford.

He has managed just 12 goals in 83 appearances for United and has spent the last two-and-a-half seasons away on loan. Sancho spent the second half of the 2023/24 campaign at Dortmund, before moving to Chelsea last season.

Chelsea had been obligated to make that deal permanent but paid a penalty fee to withdraw from that agreement. Sancho has since been at Aston Villa but has found the net just once during his time in the Midlands.

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With his contract set to expire this summer, and United opting against activating an option to extend it by a further season, he looks all but set to depart the club. Dortmund managing director Ricken has now revealed that Sancho is among several potential targets for the German outfit.

Speaking to Sport Bild, he said: “We are currently looking at a lot of players and analysing them. We check whether they can make us better.

“We are doing the same with Jadon. Of course, we are looking for an offensive player who brings quality, can help us immediately, and doesn’t require an unrealistic transfer fee.

“In defence, Niklas Süle is leaving us, and Emre Can will be out for a while. So we are thinking about that area as well.”

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Sancho has endured a difficult campaign with Villa, having made just 17 starts across all competitions. His sole goal came in a 1-0 away victory against Fenerbahce in the Europa League.

However, speaking earlier this year, manager Unai Emery appeared to indicate he would be receptive to making the move permanent. He said: “Not yet, but he is a fantastic player.

“Hopefully he can help us by increasing his qualities in our structure like he is doing. He will need another contract, and maybe it could be here.

“If he plays his best football, we will want him. But also other teams could be involved in the interest for him.”

Reflecting on Sancho’s performances for Villa, Emery added: “The first part of the season was not enough. He was working and trying, but not achieving the performance we needed.

“Now he is getting better. He is getting the challenge for him and us.”

Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has new contract until the summer of 2026 with the club holding an option for a further season

Manchester United have tied up the first piece of business ahead of an important summer with Harry Maguire signing a new deal. The England international’s new contract runs until the summer of 2027, with the club boasting the option of a further year.

With so much still to be decided, it’s an important step in the right direction. United have a lot to sort out between now and the end of the season, with Champions League football likely to have a major say on transfers and potentially the new manager.

As things stand, Michael Carrick has guided the club into third place, and are among the favourites to return to Europe’s elite competition. After Maguire’s new deal, the Manchester Evening News looks at four priorities for United to address:

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Appoint a permanent manager

Manchester United are in the driving seat for Champions League football and if Carrick is able to secure that objective, it’ll be a major feather in the interim head coach’s cap. The club are yet to appoint a permanent successor to Ruben Amorim, with Carrick overseeing proceedings until the end of the season.

The former United midfielder has done an impressive job since taking over on a temporary basis and there’s plenty of clamour for the 44-year-old to be given the role permanently. The club hierarchy need to make a call on who’s going to lead the club quickly if they want to get ahead of their Premier League rivals in the transfer market this summer.

It’s likely to be a slow start to the transfer market with the world’s best players in action at the World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada. But United need a clear plan in place, with a manager’s vision in order to get the best out of the window.

Tie down Kobbie Mainoo

One player who has excelled since Carrick has taken charge of the club is Kobbie Mainoo and the United academy graduate is yet to sign a new deal at Old Trafford.

His reintegration into the first-team set-up will give the club a major boost in any potential transfer talks. The club cannot afford to let a talent like Mainoo leave the club, given he epitomises the United DNA.

His current deal expires in the summer of 2027, though the club have the option of a further year, with talks reportedly underway regarding a new five-year deal. They need to get it done.

Address Marcus Rashford situation

It’s been pretty bittersweet for some United fans watching Marcus Rashford excel while on loan with Barcelona, with the La Liga club agreeing an option to sign the England international.

There are plenty of conflicting reports regarding his future at both the Nou Camp and Old Trafford. There are some suggestions that Rashford will be allowed to leave United regardless this summer, but want a permanent sale, whereas Barcelona are looking for another loan.

United are well within their right to try and maximise the transfer fee obtained from Rashford this summer, and his fine performances in Spain certainly help that cause.

Sign Casemiro’s replacement

Brazilian midfielder Casemiro announced he’ll be leaving Manchester United this summer and the club know they need to sign a replacement. Elliot Anderson, Adam Wharton, Sandro Tonali and Carlos Baleba are just some of the names linked with a move to Old Trafford, with all four set to demand huge transfer fees.

Simply put, United cannot afford to sign any duds, as they have in the past. The return to the Champions League offers the club a real opportunity to kick on and rebuild, but know they have to comply with the new SCR rules.

Tonali, Anderson and Wharton would all be brilliant additions, but United’s transfer chiefs know they need to get the best value for money.

The £30.6 million Bedworth Physical Activity Hub is now open, replacing a centre which dated back to the 1970s.

The new facility was funded by Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and Sport England, in partnership with operator, Everyone Active.

Facilities include a 25 metre pool and a learner pool with a movable floor. A 100-station gym with Life Fitness and EGYM equipment; a group exercise studio and a four-court sports hall.

This is the eighth Everyone Active facility to offer a reformer Pilates studio, which will be available as part of the You+ Ultimate wellness membership.

Other facilities include a wellness hub, meeting rooms and a grab and go cafe.

An external sports pitch is due to open in September, which will be followed later by a skate park and learn to ride facility.

Paul Dowling, Everyone Active’s regional director, said: “Bedworth Physical Activity Hub offers something for everyone, no matter what your age, interests or ability.

“This centre will serve the health and wellbeing of local people for many years to come and we’ve already had a fantastic response from the community. Customers have been able to try out new activities for the first time such as reformer and group exercise classes or benefit from our state-of-the-art gym and swimming pool.”

The facility supports the Passport to Leisure Scheme which gives eligible residents access to free or concessionary rates on a range of sports and leisure activities at the four Everyone Active centres in the area.

The centre also offers targeted swimming sessions such as women-only swims and adult and family quiet swims, which can provide additional support for neurodivergent individuals by reducing noise levels and creating a calm environment. A range of swimming lessons are on offer – including for babies with their caregivers; adult beginners and adult improvers.

In order to cater for the growing interest in training among younger children there are supervised gym sessions for 11- to 13-year-olds; gym introductions for 11- to 15-year-olds and parent supervised gym sessions. 

Sustainability is at the heart of the new site’s design, with energy-efficient measures such as pool covers, air source heat pumps and rooftop solar panels helping to maximise the use of green energy.